Access reopens for Northland settlements cut off for a week

Work to reinstate the washed-out bridge at Ngaiotonga started on Friday, once diggers could reach the area. Photo: RNZ / Peter de Graaf

By Peter de Graaf - RNZ

Temporary repairs to a washed-out bridge on Northland’s east coast have restored road access to an area largely cut off from the outside world since last Sunday.

The Ngaiotonga Bridge on Rāwhiti Rd, east of Kawakawa, was reopened on Saturday after work by contractors, the Far North District Council said.

But motorists were told to only drive at a crawl over the bridge, until permanent repairs can be completed after the long weekend, a council spokesman said.

The reopening means residents of Ōakura, Punaruku and other settlements are now reconnected to the rest of Northland via Russell.

The route to Whangārei in the south, however, is still blocked by a massive slip at Helena Bay Hill, which is expected to take weeks to clear.

Much of the North Island was hit by severe storms this week, that brought heavy rain, flooding and landslides.

The Ngaiotonga Bridge itself was not damaged in Sunday’s flood, but a section of the road approach was washed away.

Repairs were delayed because a multitude of slips stopped contractors reaching the site with materials and machinery.

Road access from the northern side was restored on Friday.

Forty truckloads of rock and gravel were used to fill the gaping hole.

For two consecutive hours, between 3am and 5am on Sunday, January 18, as much rain fell on nearby Punaruku each hour as most places in Northland get in the entire month of January.