Help needed to rebuild Tukituki Trails after Central Hawke's Bay floods floods

The Tarewa Swingbridge on the Tukituki Trail, just starting to emerge from the floodwaters.

At the height of last Thursday's one-in-50-year flood, as rivers in Central Hawke's Bay rose more than halfway up their stopbanks and 30 roads in the district were impassable, a roaring Tukituki River smashed the Tarewa Swingbridge.

The swingbridge, connecting the two banks of the Tukituki downstream from Waipukurau, was opened in 2017 as a vital part of the Tukituki Trails network, used by local cyclists and walkers as well as attracting visitors to the area.

A new limestone pathway near the Waipukurau Bridge has been scoured out and will need major repair work.

Many users of the bridge took to Facebook after finding out the bridge had been destroyed, expressing their sadness and hopes of a rebuild.

Rotary River Pathways Trust chairman Roy Fraser took his first look at the damage on Friday and said "hopefully when the river goes down we can retrieve timber and components, to reuse in a rebuild".

"It has been absolutely amazing the social media responses and phone calls we have had sympathising the loss of our bridge — heartwarming to get the feedback as to how important the trails have become for locals.

"The Tukituki Trail trustees are gutted over the loss of the bridge and the extensive damage to the trail system. The trust is determined to rebuild as soon as is possible.

Floodwater inundated the walking and cycling path, as seen here under the Waipukurau Bridge.

"Our newest bridges, at the Lindsay Tunnel end of the trail, have held up well. It does seem ironic that just as we are completing this latest part we now have to go back to the beginning and rebuild trails and the original bridge."

Hawke's Bay Regional Council river schemes team leader Antony Rewcastle said the regional council is looking at insurance claim options and he has spoken with the builder of the bridge about rebuilding it higher and stronger.

"We are also keen that this asset is reinstated. The regional council holds the insurance on this bridge and it is something we will be looking into," Rewcastle said.

Low lying areas of the limestone trails have been damaged and the berm walking, mountain biking and horse riding trails have washouts and are blocked by fallen trees.

Fraser said, "It will take a lot of manpower to clean these up — but it is work we can do ourselves with volunteer labour. Many have asked how they can help to rectify the flood damage. So we have set up a Friends of the Tukituki Trail group to get financial support by way of an annual sub of $50 per person, $100 per family or for a life membership of $500, but donations over and above this would be great.

"Funds raised will be channelled towards repairing all the flood damage and then for the future ongoing maintenance and development of the trails and facilities."

Become a Friend of the Tukituki Trail via the website — tukitukitrail.com and go to the "Friends" page. Enquiries phone Roy Fraser, Rotary River Pathways Trust, 027 590 4551.

https://www.tukitukitrail.com/friendsofthetukitukitrail