Running from the water again in Hawke’s Bay: The morning when angry seas and creaking rivers met

Thousands were left powerless, and hundreds evacuated from homes as swells, tides and rivers rose in unison in Hawke’s Bay.

A State of Emergency was declared in the Heretaunga Ward of Hastings District Council early on Wednesday morning and an emergency alert sent to phones, as the sea overtopped dunes and natural barriers, particularly around Haumoana Lagoon.

A State of Emergency was also declared at 6.36am in the town of Wairoa, and it promptly flooded in the Wednesday morning daylight.

Minister for Emergency Management and Recovery Mark Mitchell was in Haumoana on Wednesday and confirmed the Government would contribute $300,000 to Mayoral Relief Funds to help communities in Hastings, Wairoa and Tairāwhiti.

“While it’s too early to know the full cost of the damage of this latest event, this funding contribution will help ensure there is minimal delay in getting support to those who need it,” Mitchell said.

“This is another tough blow for these communities, who are still recovering from the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle last year.”

Water on the Wairoa River overtopped near the yacht club due to a blockage at the river mouth, inundating dozens of properties in knee-high water, all the way to at least Kowhai Pl – three blocks back from the river.

Wairoa District Council said early indications were more than 400 Wairoa properties had been affected by flooding, including more than 100 homes significantly impacted.

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council said at 8.45am it had been forced to suspend the opening of the Wairoa River mouth, after a safety assessment.

Late afternoon Wednesday, MetService extended its heavy rain warning until 11pm, yet regional council said Wairoa’s rainfall was “easing”.

Flooding on State Highway 2 near Wairoa at Turiroa. Photos / Ann Revington

Further south on the Cape Coast, properties and infrastructure were inundated by big swells at the same time local river levels were high.

High tide hit between 8am and 9am, smashing into abandoned homes on the notorious Clifton Rd corner where homes have been sacrificed to the sea for decades.

The waves sent nails and wood from those properties flying on to the street, which locals raced to clean up.

Police knocked on doors asking coastal homeowners to evacuate in the middle of the night, with more than 40 people heading to the sanctuary of Haumoana Hall. Forty-four people remained at the hall at 11am.

A bund protecting Westshore was also breached by the high tide.

The Hawke’s Bay Regional Council said the swell had “overtopped” the gravel barrier in some places, and the ponded water was being pumped out.

One resident, in the vicinity of Tareha St and North Tce, said flood water had come through the lawn and garden, “but nothing inside thankfully”.

“I was down there at midnight and a chap from [the regional council] was there looking at everything and said they couldn’t do anything until the morning as all their staff were at Haumoana evacuating the residents,” she said.

Council later had sandbagged the two properties with the water inside, in the hope of stopping it from rising.

Rising water prompted the evacuation of 115 people in Wairoa, including 90 residents of Kopu Rd and McLean St to Wairoa’s Memorial Hall.

Wairoa Mayor Craig Little said power had been cut off in town due to water levels near local substations, while sandbags had been put in place to protect main street businesses.

A helicopter was on standby to check on hard-to-reach properties and people, with iwi and response teams on standby at locations throughout the district, he said.

Kopu Rd, Wairoa, 300 metres downstream of the tennis club. Photo / Hawke's Bay Regional Council

By mid-afternoon Wednesday, Firstlight Network said it had restored power to 1115 customers yet was still working on widespread outages from south of Wairoa to Te Araroa, which was still impacting about another 1000 customers.

Little said the rainfall – as much as 200mm had fallen within 24 hours in some parts of the East Coast – had been greater than first forecast.

But by 10.45am water levels in the town itself had dropped 30cm, and Little said the expectation was they would continue to drop.

Little said there would be a full investigation into why the river bar had failed and that locals were dealing with “rain anxiety”.

An area of Haumoana, beside the Four Square. The house in the background was already long abandoned due to the risk of inundation, with the force of the water pushing wood and nails from it onto the road. Photo / Paul Taylor

Roads closed

Numerous roads closed around Hawke’s Bay on Wednesday. However, as at 5pm Wednesday, some had reopened.

SH2 between Pūtōrino and Wairoa reopened under convoy. Crews onsite will be piloting traffic from Mitchell Road to Kiwi Valley Road, due to surface flooding.

SH38 between Frasertown and Lake Waikaremoana remained closed.

State Highway 2 between Napier and Gisborne was closed due to slips and tree falls. Photo / NZTA

There had been numerous reports of fallen trees, slips and surface flooding around other parts of the network.

NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi reported late morning there were “no concerns” for the stability of the State Highway 51 Waitangi Bridge near Awatoto, between Napier and Clive.

The route was, however, closed for most of the day, but later both lanes were reopened.

The bridge, which provided the first road access out of Napier after its closure during Cyclone Gabrielle, had been flagged for possible replacement at least as long ago as 2009 and has been closed at times since the February 2023 cyclone for further maintenance and inspections.