Volunteers cleaning up wood along the Ōakura waterfront. From left: Joanne Moore (Whangārei), Rose Berens (Ōakura), Jo Pilkington (Auckland) and Edna Elliott (Auckland). Photo / Susan Botting
Volunteers cleaning up wood along the Ōakura waterfront. From left: Joanne Moore (Whangārei), Rose Berens (Ōakura), Jo Pilkington (Auckland) and Edna Elliott (Auckland). Photo / Susan Botting
Huge quantities of wet and clay-covered household debris have been thrown out from Ōakura’s storm-hit baches as owners clean up.
Ōakura Store owner Nena Rogers said Waitangi weekend was the first time many bach owners had been allowed out to the coastal settlement since the January 18 weather bomb. Accessis limited to the often single-lane, winding Kaiikanui Rd southern detour.
A new but clay-soaked sofa, a children’s paddling pool and sodden carpet were among the ruined gear thrown out by bach owners in a steady stream of people unloading their storm wreckage into the giant skips over the weekend.
Rogers said the clean-up had been continuing since the event, and the giant skip bins were constantly being swapped out, their replacements getting filled.
“I’ve been stunned how long those skip bins have been getting filled up for.”
She said the skip bins had been brought in, filled up and then trucked out of the community in a rotating process that had repeated throughout the past two weeks since the weather bomb hit.
The giant skips were provided by Whangārei Civil Defence outside the red-stickered Ōakura Bay community hall.
Taking a moment to reflect on the weather bomb that has affected all their lives are (from left along wall) Te Rāwhiti couple Tutchen and Maude Iririnui and Catherine Thompson from Tuparehuia (Bland Bay), with Ōakura's June Wells. Photo / Susan Botting
Slips crashed into the hall, which was set up for a function the same day, and several Ōakura waterfront properties, wrecking households.
Meanwhile, a crew of local people was also at work over Waitangi Weekend to clear wood debris and driftwood flooding washed out into the sea at Ōakura Beach.
Through social media, members of the community had first collected the driftwood into piles along the length of the beach.
Ōakura resident Rose Berens was among those, including bach owners, who then helped collect up the wood debris and driftwood piles
She lives in an area badly flood-hit, but said she was lucky. Her property was a little higher than some, so it was not as badly hit as others around her.
“We wanted to do our part to clean up the mess,” Berens said.
Huge quantities of debris have been taken out of flood and slip-damaged Ōakura baches since the weather bomb hit on January 18. Photo / Susan Botting
Six trailer loads of wood, which also filled the 4WD that towed them, were taken to the Ōakura transfer station.
Large quantities of clay, silt and debris have also been removed from houses.
Homeowners were also at work clearing damaged gardens, with the sound of chainsawing joining the cries of seagulls.
After the weather bomb hit, the area was under a state of emergency from January 20 until January 27.
■ LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
