Days of steady rain and its effects on the terrain and motorists had police and roading contractors pushed to the limit throughout Hawke's Bay at the weekend. Highway Patrol Sergeant Chris Quinn said while some motorists were caught out by not driving to the conditions, one driver was an innocent victimof the rain after a slip crashed down across nearly two lanes of a stretch of State Highway 5 about 7km south of the Mohaka Bridge. The slip was reported about 5pm Saturday and came down on a stretch of road where there were northbound passing lanes. One car travelling through the area was unable to avoid the slip and was clipped by it. Mr Quinn said none of the car's occupants were injured. Transit Hawke's Bay's network operations manager Gordon Hart said the slip was one of a string of incidents contractors were called to over the weekend as days of rain triggered mainly minor landslides. The Te Pohue region, which is prone to slips, was the worst affected although most were minor and traffic was able to get through. There were at least three slips in one stretch alone. The major slip near Mohaka, and the fact it struck a vehicle, prompted police to close the highway although contractors were able to re-open it after a short time. A second major slip was reported on the Waikaremoana Rd on Sunday morning but it too was quickly cleared. Road crews were still out today doing clean-up and roadside inspection work in slip-prone spots. Mr Quinn said it was ``all on' for highway patrol officers during the weekend - with many calls to ``run of the mill' crashes caused by drivers not taking enough care in poor conditions. ``There were no major crashes but plenty where drivers had simply not adjusted to the conditions.'
