The road is closed to motorists, along with many others in around the central North Island which have been inundated with slips and flooding.
An ambulance with a “critically unwell” newborn baby on board was among vehicles blocked by floods and slips in Awakino Gorge.
Heavy rain made the road through the Gorge area impossible to use in places and caused multiple vehicles to become stuck.
Hato Hone St John were carrying out aroutine patient transfer from New Plymouth to Waikato Hospital by road because poor weather conditions prevented an air ambulance being dispatched.
On-call police officer Constable Donna Potroz received a call about 1.40am Monday regarding a major slip blocking Awakino Gorge.
Potroz found the vehicles, including the ambulance with the baby on board, after arriving at the scene and started to provide support and advice to those in need.
“Constable Potroz chose to travel alongside our patient transfer services officer and medical team from Health New Zealand, to provide access to important communications,” said Hato Hone St John national operations manager Chris Haines.
An ambulance was stuck in Awakino Gorge while transferring a critically ill newborn. Photo / NZME
“We are also grateful to have had a team of neonatal intensive care specialists from Health New Zealand on board our ambulance to provide essential care to the patient, who was a critically unwell baby.”
Work had started on clearing the road, but because of the time it would take to clear the ambulance team decided to return to New Plymouth.
