Far North pothole sparks calls for urgent safety fix

Far North resident Peter Trimble said the indentation on Waiare Rd between Ōkaihau and Kerikeri is causing problems for motorists.

A Northland man nearly “taken out” by a logging truck swerving to avoid a pothole in the Far North fears it’s only a matter of time before there is a serious accident.

Peter Trimble said the “big indentation” on Waiare Rd between Ōkaihau and Kerikeri is causing problems for motorists, with “drivers going over the centre line to avoid it”.

Trimble, who lives in Ōkaihau and travels the route regularly with his wife and two children, said the pothole had been an issue for about a year and was “getting worse and worse”.

“I’ve seen motorbikes nearly go off the road on it.

“The other day a logging truck trailer hit the bump and swerved over the centre line, nearly taking me out.

“Something has got to be done about this thing.

“Because it’s on a straight, everyone’s doing 90 to 100km/h.

“It’s like a ramp – you go into it and it flicks you out.”

Trimble said he had phoned the Far North District Council (FNDC) several times about the piece of road, and “nothing had been done”.

After contacting the Northern Advocate, Trimble saw that council contractors had attended the site last Tuesday and filled it in.

However, Trimble said the repair job was “a weak attempt”.

FNDC corporate services group manager Charlie Billington said the council was aware of the need to repair a section of Waiare Rd in Ōkaihau.

A full repair has been scheduled for April, he said.

“Temporary levelling was completed on March 30, and extra warning signs installed.

“We encourage the public to report any road defects so they can be addressed.”

Potholes are the bane of Northlanders’ lives, causing damage to vehicles, including tyres and rims, and the need for more frequent wheel alignments.

Kerikeri resident John Baird even started the Facebook group, Northland Potholes, in 2022 so motorists could highlight the locations of hazardous potholes for the safety of other road users.

The group now has nearly 5000 members.

Baird said he hadn’t heard about the Ōkaihau pothole.

However, recent bouts of bad weather across the region had seen roads “hold up reasonably well”, he said.

Councils and the NZ Transport Agency were “more responsive now” to damaged roads, and acted faster to make repairs, he said.

“But it’s cumulative from here as we go through winter and get these storms coming through.

“There will be potholes; assume a puddle will be a pothole and avoid it.

“Even when they’re fixing them on the highways, you can still get caught out.”

Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues.