Creek's torrent floods homes in day of misery

By JO-MARIE BROWN

About 100 residents spent yesterday shovelling mud and silt off their properties after a swollen creek swept through a small township on the Coromandel Peninsula.

The Tararu Creek hit the homes, just north of Thames, on Saturday afternoon.

One of those cleaning up yesterday was Russell Skeet, who said the noise of the creek as it rose was quite frightening.

"Huge big rocks just came tumbling down," he said.

"I was watching logs 10 to 20 feet long flipping end over end down the stream."

Mr Skeet said there was very little warning before the mud-coloured water swept down from the Coromandel Ranges.

Fifteen homes were evacuated and several roads closed.

The deluge also damaged the Maungakirikiri Bridge, in the Kauaeranga Valley east of Thames, leaving 30 campers stranded overnight.

"Our garden is quite literally buried. It's like Pompei," Mr Skeet said as he contemplated the thick layer of mud and silt on his lawn.

For others, the garden was the least of their worries.

Daniel and Yvonne Scott returned home at 9.30 pm on Saturday night to discover the bottom floor of their three-storeyed home under water.

Their tenant had tried to keep the water at bay with towels, Mrs Scott said.

"That was working for quite a while until a big log came through the window and that just let everything in.

"It's just such a mess. There's mud like you wouldn't believe."

Records for the couple's commercial fishing business had been destroyed, and fishing gear and tools stored underneath the house had been swept away.

"All the houses down the road have got our stuff on their lawns," Mrs Scott said.

Another clearing away logs and mud yesterday was Sunset Motel owner Andrea McCartney.

"It's just your worst nightmare," she said.

MetService lead forecaster Andrew Downs said the storm had been a localised one, and no rainfall figures were recorded for the area.

But nearby regions received 30mm to 40mm of rain in half an hour on Saturday afternoon.

The South Island's east coast had the soggiest weekend.

Floodwaters and slips closed several roads - including State Highway 1 - on Saturday and yesterday, creating dangerous driving conditions from Marlborough to Otago.

The North Canterbury foothills recorded 250mm of rain, and 100mm fell in Kaikoura in the 24 hours to yesterday morning.

Police Southern Communication Centre spokesman Sergeant Jeff Meldau said State Highway 1 was closed at three separate places on Saturday - at Ashburton, at Maheno south of Oamaru, and at Waikouaiti north of Dunedin.

Slips and flooding also caused problems on the highway north and south of Kaikoura.

Other roads, including State Highway 73 through Arthurs Pass, were flooded.

No serious road accidents were reported.

Sergeant Meldau said emergency services received hundreds of flood-related calls over the weekend.

In Akaroa on Banks Peninsula, streams rose to dangerous levels, flooding homes and cutting off the town's water supply.

Banks Peninsula Mayor Bob Parker said floodwaters overwhelmed many bridges and streets.

The main street in the historic town was closed and some homes were evacuated early yesterday.

All major roads were open again by yesterday afternoon, but police said motorists should take extreme care.

The MetService is forecasting more rain for the North Island today.

* A North Otago man who drove at 140 km/h towards floodwaters on a closed road on Saturday has been charged with dangerous driving.

Police said his action was "beyond belief".

They said the 21-year-old swerved around the "road closed" sign placed about 200m from floodwaters.

His car stalled when it reached the water. The driver tried to get it towed out but it succumbed to the rising water.

nzherald.co.nz/weather

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