Heavy rains savage Wairarapa roads

ASSESSMENT: Mark Large (left) and Aaron McArthur from Fulton Hogan, South Wairarapa District Council roading manager Tim Langley, and councillor Brian Jephson inspect the damage on Cape Palliser Rd.

Several roads in South Wairarapa were closed yesterday due to flooding and damage caused by heavy rain.

Cape Palliser Rd at Whatarangi Cliffs was down to one lane after heavy rain washed out a section of the road, and several other roads in the area were closed due to flooding or slips.

South Wairarapa District Council infrastructure and services manager Mark Allingham said one lane of Cape Palliser Rd would remain closed until repairs could get underway.

"It's not as bad as the previous storm but the section where the road has given way will take a lot more work to repair because it's at a high point over 10m above the sea - it's basically on the edge of the cliff." A solution would be sought over the next few weeks and work could begin as early as next week, Mr Allingham said.

The repairs were expected to cost more than $100,000, and the council would be applying for NZTA emergency funding.

The damage comes just months after the council received more than $600,000 in emergency funding to fix damage done by storms earlier in the year.

Mr Allingham said it was expected repairs would include stepping the road into the hill and "armouring" the cliff below to prevent further erosion.

"With more storms predicted the road will be monitored for any further issues," he said.

Work done after the last storm seemed to have held and the areas that had collapsed were not ones that had been fixed previously, Mr Allingham said.

Other roads affected by the rain were White Rock Rd in Tuturumuri, where the road was closed due to flooding, and Range Rd in Tuturumuri, which was closed due to a slip but reopened on Tuesday morning.

A severe weather warning remained in place for Wairarapa, with a band of heavy rain expected to continue to affect the region. MetService warned rain levels could cause rivers and streams to rise rapidly, slips and surface flooding.