Slips on Takaka Hill following Cyclone Gita. Photo / Tim Cuff
The first shipment of supplies has arrived to people stranded by Cyclone Gita in the Golden Bay area.
State Highway 60, which crosses Takaka Hill, is the only road in and out of Golden Bay and has been closed since Tuesday afternoon due to slips and washouts.
Drone footage shows parts of the road have been washed away and there are 16 slips along the route. It is expected to take several days before it is re-opened.
The supplies arrived at Port Tarakohe in Golden Bay this morning and were taken to Fresh Choice in Takaka, the only supermarket in the area.
A second barge will arrive at 3pm.
Fresh Choice Takaka manager Anthony Tait said the items that came in this morning were from an order that was meant to come in yesterday morning on a truck.
"It is not the essentials, but we had the opportunity to bring it in on a smaller barge, so we took that.
"A larger barge with more essential items will be coming in this afternoon."
The order will include essential items like milk, cheese, bread, pasta, canned goods toilet paper and personal hygiene products.
"Yesterday morning everybody went into panic mode, buying up everything they could and clearing the shelves out. It was mayhem.
"We are hoping that people just buy what they need this time. We will be able to keep shipping items in as we need them."
A Civil Defence spokesman said they were working to enure a regular supply continued by sea as long as required.
A state of emergency remains in place as the Tasman region deals with the impacts of Cyclone Gita.
Civil Defence response teams will be checking on residents door-to-door today.
The limited fuel supply in Golden Bay is being managed with a $30 fuel per vehicle per day restriction in place.
Arrangements have been made for emergency services and their volunteers, contractors working on the recovery, medical staff and other key personnel to adequate access to fuel.
Arrangements are also under way to confirm future fuel deliveries by barge.
Local commercial air operators are still running services for those who want to fly into or out of Takaka.
As the road to Totaranui is open, there are also commercial options for leaving Golden Bay by boat.
New Plymouth water crisis
New Plymouth shops are running out of bottled water as crews work around the clock to repair a pipe damaged by Cyclone Gita.
A tree fell during the cyclone and damaged the district's main water supply pipe.
The break has cut water supplies to homes and businesses in eastern New Plymouth and towns east of the city.
People in New Plymouth, Bell Block, Waitara, Tikorangi, Lepperton, Onaero and Urenui have been urged to save water as much as possible.
Residents are being asked to only use water for drinking - after boiling it for one minute - and flushing the toilet.
All big water users have been asked to stop using water and there is a total ban on using water for gardens or outside washing.
All New Plymouth high schools were closed on Thursday, and most primary schools in the district are also expected to be closed.
New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) staff and volunteers hit the streets on Wednesday night distributing letters to around 26,000 properties from New Plymouth to Urenui with an update on the water situation.
The New Plymouth District Council is repairing the pipe, north of New Plymouth, and investigating alternative water supplies.
"The repair crew will be working 24/7 until the pipe is fixed, after which we'll flush the pipes of sediment and refill the water system," a New Plymouth District Council spokesman said.
"We're also investigating the feasibility of connecting to two alternative water supplies, as a back-up to the main repair."
Water from the tankers have been provided in critical areas.
District Health Board head Gillian Campbell said services at the hospital were running as normal.
Patients and staff at Taranaki Base Hospital were given clean drinking water last night and a water tanker will be used to maintain a clean supply to the hospital.
Inpatient and outpatient services are not affected.
Power still out for some in Taranaki
More than 5000 Powerco customers were still without power - 4900 in Taranaki - following damage from Cyclone Gita.
Winds up to 140km/h brought down dozens of poles and lines overnight Tuesday.
Some of those properties may still be without power by the end of the day and the company is using a helicopter to survey the extent of the damage.
Powerco Network Operations Manager Phil Marsh said at the height of the storm, there were about 26,000 Powerco customers without power.
"The field crews are working really hard but we understand the frustration of people who have been without power for close to two days now," he said.
"Extra crews have been brought in from throughout the North Island to help but there are some areas, particularly Eastern Taranaki, where damage is still being assessed.
"We know there are poles and wires down and we are using a helicopter to establish the extent of the damage."
Marsh said people with damaged service lines should register it on the Powerco website.