Gisborne's neglected roads: Potholes aplenty and upset residents

A road cone highlights the depth of a pothole on the tarsealed section of Ngakoroa Rd, Gisborne. Residents are upset at the council's lack of action in maintaining the road. Photo / Liam Clayton

The state of Gisborne's rural roads is being called into question by upset residents who say they're playing dodgems just to avoid bumps.

Gisborne District Council, however, says people will need to be patient as the organisation waits for the weather to improve before work can be carried out.

On Ngakoroa Rd, 20km out of Gisborne, resident Caroline Campbell describes the state of her part-sealed, part gravel road as "horrendous" and says it's only getting worse.

About 12km in length, the narrow road is only sealed for the first 5km.

Beyond that, drivers are greeted by a plethora of potholes and blind corners shared with logging trucks.

"It's like dodgems trying to work out which pothole not to go into. You can't just drive on the left-hand side of the road at all," Campbell said.

"We've been there over a year. It's gotten worse and worse. Some of us have even put cones into one of the potholes that's on the tarseal because it's so deep."

Tairāwhiti's fraught roading network continues to be highlighted after severe weather events, which at times leave communities cut off.

March flooding caused about $28 million in damage to the roading network and Gisborne District Council community lifelines director Dave Wilson says 40 roads require major engineering repairs.

There has been an increase in complaints from the community and Wilson's message is simple — please be patient.

Jeff Billz and Vicki Allan inspect potholes on Ngakoroa Rd. Photo / Liam Clayton

In September, Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency announced a $209m investment in the region for improvements. But the state of Ngakoroa Rd has some of its residents wondering where all the money is ending up.

Resident Jeff Billz lives at the furthest reaches of the road on a section which used to be tarsealed but is now only suitable for four-wheel drive vehicles. Having lived in the area for more than 20 years, he remembers a time when the road was maintained and safe.

With the introduction of logging about five years ago, that all changed. The grading that was once completed every few months had disappeared altogether.

A fresh layer of metal up to the 10km mark about four-and-a-half years ago was the last time the council did any significant work on the road, he said.

Billz now fixes some of the potholes himself.

"I realise there's been events and the council's screaming they're broke, but that doesn't wash with me because pre these last few rain events, there's been no maintenance.

"I want our maintenance regime back. I want our culverts opened, our water tables opened . . . graded every two months . . . potholing done every two months."

Ngakoroa Rd residents Warrick Allan, Jeff Billz, Jack Fuller, Vicki Allan, Caroline Campbell, Derek Goodwin and Charlie Reynolds gather to discuss the state of their road. Photo / Liam Clayton

For teacher Vicki Allan, using a walkie-talkie to communicate with oncoming traffic is just a normal part of trying to get to and from work safely.

Allan says she had to upgrade her car to a four-wheel drive because of the worsening state of the road, and that the danger was real.

"If you're not driving to the conditions and expecting a truck at every corner, you're going to be in trouble.

"You're now driving the road to avoid damage to your car, let alone avoiding a truck coming around the corner."

Meanwhile, bad news seems to be compounding for the road's residents. A recent memo from NZ Post informed them they would need to move their mailboxes to the tarsealed section of the road for safety reasons.

On June 30, letters were delivered explaining the rural delivery driver had experienced near misses with logging trucks and other vehicles on the metal part of Ngakoroa Rd.

All houses on the gravel section would need to move their mailboxes to the 5km mark.

With thousands of dollars worth of farm products being delivered at times, the request has only upset residents further and has them wondering if the worsening state of the road has played a factor.

Knight Rd resident Anne Roberts is disappointed her road at Patutahi is being overlooked for repairs. "I have lived in this area for over 50 years and it has never been so bad." Photo / Liam Clayton

Waimata Valley resident Laura Watson shares similar concerns about pothole-ridden roads, specifically Waimata Valley, Mander, and Utting roads.

There were "huge" potholes in some areas, some covering entire lanes that required vehicles to swerve to the other side of the road to avoid, she said.

"Our road is very narrow in some areas and busy with logging traffic and stock trucks, so we have been lucky so far that there hasn't been a serious accident with oncoming traffic as drivers struggle to stay in their own lanes without causing damage to their vehicles.

"We have been told for a number of months now that we had to wait until July as there was no money left to fix the roads, yet there seems to be endless amounts of money to buy orange road cones that line the country roads in our district."

Watson said the council only addressed the tarseal potholes in the summer months and she had been told she would have to wait until the end of the year to see the work done that she requested.

The contractors did a great job when properly funded, she said.

Ngatapa resident William Barclay called the state of Wharekopae, Tahora and Te Wera roads "disgraceful". They were dangerous and difficult to negotiate.

Although maintenance had been done two years ago, deterioration since had been rapid, with minimal follow-up, he said.

"The deep potholes and ruts are unavoidable and are damaging to all vehicles . . . and to life and limb."

On Knight Rd in Patutahi — an area known for its horticulture — residents have taken up the fight to have potholes addressed on the gravel section of their road.

Anne Roberts said she had complained three times this year to the council over the state of Patutahi's roads, which she described as "a total disgrace".

She warns visitors to be extra cautious and said health and safety was being put at risk.

"A lot of rates are coming off this road and we're not seeing any of it.

"I have lived in this area for over 50 years and it has never been so bad."

In response to a June email to the mayor about the issue, Roberts was told the council was scrambling to divert works and money up the Coast following the devastation of the floods, and would be playing catch-up for a while.

Mayor Rehette Stoltz replied, "I am not trying to make excuses but our teams are stretched like never before."