Police escorted convoy planned to get around Far North SH1 washout

Video captured of the Raio tributary stream and the culvert being washed out. / Supplied by Nicholas Dowman

A police escort is planned this morning which will bypass the washout on State Highway 1 in the Far North via a forestry track.

The escort was being organised by police, New Zealand Transport Agency and the Far North District Council for essential travel.

And children won't be able to make it to school because of the washout that has cut off access for all but emergencies to the northern tip of the North Island.

Crews and heavy machinery have been working to restore the section of State Highway 1 south of Pukenui since it was washed away on Friday. Flooding in the culvert below tore a 20m wide, 5m deep hole in the road - the only official route from Kaitaia and Cape Reinga, the country's northern tip.

On Sunday, Kaitaia College said it was contacting families to tell them there would be no buses operating north of Whalers Rd on Monday.

NZTA said it had made good progress on fixing the washout north of Kaitaia and was on course to reopen the road by the middle of the week.

The alternative forestry route was a single muddy track which was only suitable for four wheel drive vehicles.
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An agreement had been made to open the track for a short time in the morning and evening on Monday, NZTA Northland system manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult said.

This morning there will be a 7.30am departure for southbound traffic from 271 Trig Rd and an 8.15am departure for northbound vehicles from 113 Hukatere Rd at the end of the sealed section.

In the evening the southbound convoy will leave at 5.30pm with the northbound convoy leaving at 6.15pm.

Police would be assessing vehicles and drivers for suitability before they could join the convoy.

Motorists will be travelling at their own risk and any vehicle that arrived after the convoy had departed would not be able to use the route, Hori-Hoult said.

Communities and tourists north of the washout had been cut off, but Civil Defence said it has had no requests for assistance.

Work crews are making good progress on rebuilding the road to reopen it to traffic by the middle of the week.

Nine of the 10 pipes required to channel the stream under the road have been laid. Backfilling over the pipes to restore the road level is under way but further progress was dependent on the weather.