Rain on the way in Hawke's Bay - again

The Te Reinga Bridge, closed by storm and possibly earthquake damage, affecting the lives of hundreds in the Ruakituri Valley northwest of Wairoa. Photo / Supplied

Heavy rain is possible for Hawke's Bay despite some areas still battling to recover from the devastation caused by more than a week's rain in late March.

National weather agency MetService has a "severe weather outlook" issued as ex-tropical cyclone Cyclone Fili heads south from the New Caledonia region.

It says Fili is forecast to approach the North Island from Tuesday and may track southeast across the Island during the next day. It could bring gales, heavy rain, large waves and coastal inundation to parts of the North Island.

"At this stage, there is a moderate risk of rain and severe gales affecting parts of the North Island from Whanganui and Hawke's Bay northwards later on Tuesday and Wednesday. The risk is low for the remainder of the North Island during Wednesday and early Thursday."

It said meteorologists are closely monitoring Fili's progress and people were advised to watch for updates,

Hawke's Bay, from Wairoa to Dannevirke, was forecast to have mainly fine weather, with showers and rain starting possibly as early as Tuesday night and continuing over the next 48 hours. There would then be a fine-weather start to the Easter holiday weekend on Friday and Saturday.

The possibility of more rain isn't good news for Ruakituri Valley farmers Bart and Nukuhia Hadfield, who are now battling the impact of road closures, the closure of Te Reinga Bridge, and up to 500 slips on their 1500-hectare Mangaroa Station. They won the Ahuwhenua Trophy for Māori Excellence in Farming in 2015.

But the battles also include getting the Government and departments to recognise the enormity of the damage, which those who have been around long enough are saying is much worse than the benchmark Cyclone Bola of March 1988.

Nukuhuia Hadfield, who also now chairs the committee that runs the nationwide Ahuwhenua contest, will tomorrow welcome officials, including Ikaroa Rawhiti MP Meka Whaitiri, to the area to see for themselves.

Bart Hadfield says there was rain on the property for 11 days, totalling 1100mm, following heavy rain which also caused damage throughout the area in February.

In close proximity, Mangaroa and Papuni roads have suffered major damage, while the Wairoa District Council has said the Ruakituri Valley situation and the Te Reinga bridge closure – after the discovery of a skewed pier following rain and a 4.4 magnitude earthquake – is one of the biggest infrastructure crises to face the Council for years.

The Council has rolled out a simultaneous three-pronged priority approach of repairing the existing bridge, regaining pedestrian access as soon as possible, and carrying out urgent weather-related repairs on the alternative route via Erepiti and Ohuka.