Kererū farmer Harry Gaddum with son Arlo. Gaddum says the loss of the culvert has added two hours to his commute and the local school and kindergarten are now struggling for teachers. Photo / Warren Buckland
Kererū farmer Harry Gaddum with son Arlo. Gaddum says the loss of the culvert has added two hours to his commute and the local school and kindergarten are now struggling for teachers. Photo / Warren Buckland
Cyclone Gabrielle carved a 50m chunk out of Kererū Rd and left an 18m-deep gully behind.
A winding, gravelly road is still the only way in and out of the Kererū community in Hastings, and 15 months on, residents are concerned about the toll on financial and mental health.
No short-term solution is possible; it will take at least another seven months before repairs are finished. James Pocock reports.
Kererū residents say the loss of the main route to their small rural community has caused students to move schools, delayed emergency service responses and greatly increased commutes for some.
It found 50m of road embankment was lost and erosion from the floodwaters made the existing gully 18m deep after the Kererū Gorge pipe culvert channelling Whanaukini Stream underneath the road was destroyed during Cyclone Gabrielle.
That scar remains 15 months on, and initial investigation has confirmed no short-term solution is possible.
Even with the council prioritising repairs, residents have to wait until December before the road is open.
“The community out here is stronger for it, there is no doubt about it.
“It is incredible how we have all come together. We’ve started a fire brigade; we’ve got an incredible emergency hub we’ve created out here.”
Hastings District Council describes the damage from Cyclone Gabrielle flooding as “catastrophic” - 50m of road embankment was lost and erosion from the floodwaters made the gully 18m deep. Photo / Paul Taylor
Debra Stewart, a resident of Poporangi Rd, commutes to Napier for work.
She said there was frustration in the community as the council had previously indicated in the last 15 months Kererū Gorge could be repaired earlier.
“The council, to be fair, has done its best to keep it operational, but [Salisbury Rd] is just a substandard piece of road. It is just not built for the traffic it is getting,” Stewart said.
She said there were worries about vulnerable people in the community, students potentially leaving the school and recruitment of staff becoming more difficult for local businesses.
“I think we have been incredibly patient. We were one of those communities that was isolated during the cyclone, but we had an alternative route into town and we thought, as lots of people did, that there [were] many people worse-off than us, so we kind of sat back. Now we are kicking ourselves.”
Debra Stewart commutes from Kererū to Napier and said there are concerns about vulnerable people in the community, the school's loss of students and attracting employees. Photo / Paul Taylor
Kererū farmer Stuart Spall said the community was beginning to feel the long-term impact on their mental and financial health.
“There is a cost to the community every day this goes on. That includes increased fuel costs and increased freight costs. We import and export stock along that road,” Spall said.
Kelsie Laing works at Kererū School. She said some of the biggest affects were felt by people living close on the opposite side of the gorge from Kererū.
“One of our teachers, the senior room teacher, lives on the other side of the gorge. Her normal trip if the road is open would be five minutes to school. If she were to go around the long way now, you would be looking at roughly an hour to get here,” Laing said.
She said the teacher now opts to mountain-bike 7km through farmland to get to school, and Laing was worried for her because of the approaching winter.
Residents say the alternative Salisbury Rd route has been well-maintained by Hastings District Council to accommodate increased traffic, but the partially unsealed road is taking a toll on vehicles. Photo / Warren Buckland
A HDC spokesperson said the repair plan was to install a modular, multi-plate arched culvert that can be assembled on-site and would provide future resilience.
“The time and expense of constructing any interim solution at this site would be similar to that required for a permanent solution, and so a temporary solution was ruled out,” the spokesperson said.
“At the early stage of the investigations into rebuilding this road it became evident the constraints of this particular site, for example having no access for large cranes, meant a permanent fix would take some time.”
Contractor Fulton Hogan began the first phase on April 19 after equipment was brought to the site in February and March.
“During phase one of the rebuild, residents will see increased traffic to the site, and likely hear noise and vibrations during the workday. However, there will not be a lot of visible construction as much of the work is foundational.”
“To date, site facilities, buildings and utilities have been established, slope stabilisation has begun, and temporary culverts and stream diversions have been put in place.”
It’s hoped the project is on track to be completed in time for Christmas.
James Pocock joined Hawke’s Bay Today in 2021 and writes breaking news and features, with a focus on the environment, local government and post-cyclone issues in the region. He has a keen interest in finding the bigger picture in research and making it more accessible to audiences. He lives in Napier. You can contact him at james.pocock@nzme.co.nz
