Rissington: Cut-off residents near Napier receive boost as dirt bridge opens

A makeshift bridge over the Mangaone River at Rissington, which has opened to cut-off residents. Photo / Paul Taylor

For three weeks, residents in the cut-off communities of Rissington, Patoka and Puketitiri have relied on boats to get across the Mangaone River, where the 100-year-old Rissington Bridge washed away during Cyclone Gabrielle.

That changed at the weekend when a makeshift bridge opened to residents with 4WDs.

Patoka resident and vet Sally Newall drove across the bridge today to pick up boxes filled with donated meals, supplied by generous volunteers associated with Havelock North’s Giant Brewing.

“They got that culvert [bridge] going last Friday, but it did have to stop over the weekend because of the rain.

“That is the big thing with the culvert [bridge]. I think some people think, ‘Oh, they are sweet now they have a bridge’, but it is very weather-dependent.”

The army crossed the makeshift bridge with Unimogs on Tuesday, but dropped off their passengers first to lighten the load. Photo / Paul Taylor

Newall said the bridge meant community hubs in Rissington, Patoka and Puketitiri could continue to supply essentials to residents.

It also meant residents with access to a 4WD can travel into centres like Napier or Hastings.

However, trucks carrying farming and essential supplies cannot safely cross the dirt bridge and will have to wait until a Bailey bridge is completed close by.

Newall said farmers were becoming increasingly concerned because animals were eating a lot of the grass meant for winter.

“So now, going into winter, we are going to be incredibly short of grass and will have to bring in a lot of feed to support the farms once the Bailey bridge is open.”

Patoka resident and vet Sally Newall has been using the bridge to cross the river. Photo / Paul Taylor

Newall said getting electricity back last week had been “amazing” for the remote communities over the river, where about 700 residents live.

Newall said the community hubs in the three communities had been doing great work.

“All of the hubs are being run by volunteers who have done a fantastic job,” she said. “About 90 per cent of what we have in our hall at Patoka is from donations.”

Newall is a trained vet and has been busy around the Patoka region since the floods, helping where she can.

That has included everything from treating wounds on animals to administering vaccinations and worming, including with supplies flown in from Vet Services Hawke’s Bay and VetOne.