Large tree slides down Mahia bank and comes to a halt - still standing - in the middle of the road

A tree slid 50 metres down a bank in Mahia before coming to rest upright in the middle of a coastal road, following heavy rainfall and slips.

Northern Hawke’s Bay was lashed by downpours on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, resulting in some evacuations and a handful of flooded homes.

The small township of Nūhaka appeared to be hardest-hit by the flooding, while other nearby communities such as the popular beachside destination of Mahia suffered slips and dropouts on roads.

The tree which slid 50m on to Mahia East Coast Rd on Wednesday. Photo / Hawke's Bay Regional Council

Mahia resident Craig Curphey was unable to get a vehicle out of his street, Browns Rise, to go to work because of the slips.

He said a tree had slipped “40 or 50 metres” down that street and on to the adjoining Mahia East Coast Rd.

He said the slip had caused some damage to one bach.

Remarkably, the tree was still standing upright in the middle of Mahia East Coast Rd as of Wednesday afternoon.

A dropout along Mahia East Coast Rd in Māhia. Photo / Craig Curphey

There was also a large dropout nearby along that road.

The key road, Māhia East Coast Rd, is used for travelling up Mahia Peninsula and was also damaged during Cyclone Gabrielle in February.

Curphey said, talking to other locals, it was passable with a 4WD, but would be difficult in a normal car.