Tangiteroria farms turned into lakes as SH14 reopens after Cyclone Gabrielle flooding

Graham and Kylie Beatty on their flooded Tangiteroria farm. Photo / Michael Cunnningham

Paddocks along State Highway 14 near Tangiteroria have turned into enormous lakes after Cyclone Gabrielle swept through the region.

Much of the main road between Whangārei and Dargaville was closed for several days due to multiple weather-related issues, including major flooding over the Kirikopuni Bridge.

Tangiteroria farmer Graham Beatty said it was the biggest flood in the area in the 100 years his family had been farming on the land. The second-biggest flood, he believed, was in 1936.

His milking shed was flooded on Monday, and the water only began to recede on Wednesday, leaving a muddy mess in its wake. Beatty said it would not be usable for a long time.

“We even tried building a bit of a stopbank to protect the shed, but it was just too much,” he said.

Deep water remains on much of his land. It usually took around 12 hours for the water to recede after the rain stopped further north, Beatty said.

Floodwaters in Tangiteroria. Photo / Vince Cocurullo

Fortunately, Beatty had already moved his stock to higher ground before the storm and had lost none.

“We’re just trying to look after the cows as best we can.”

His home was safe from floodwaters as it is situated on higher ground on the other side of the road, and his family was safe.

They lost power during the storm, which came back on early on Thursday morning, but Beatty had not turned it back on in the shed. He believed there was likely damage to the electrics.

Communication had been more difficult, with no cell phone coverage continuing yesterday.

The Beatty family looking at their flooded milking shed and paddocks. Photo / Kylie Beatty

Beatty is still unsure what compensation is available while milking is not a possibility.

“We haven’t had any communications and we need to talk to the insurance company to sort it all out.”

He was also unsure how much other farmers had been impacted, or whether milk production across the region would be affected by the cyclone, as he was still unable to communicate with the outside world.

“Everybody’s going to be hit a little bit, whether you’ve been flooded or you’ve got no power,” Beatty said.

Despite the setback, Beatty was philosophical about it, saying there were people much worse off than himself and his wife Kylie.

“We’ll be all right. It’s just another challenge in the life of a dairy farmer.”

Flooding along SH14 near Tangiteroria. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Federated Farmers Northland president Colin Hannah said dairy farmers were slowly getting back to milking as power comes back on.

Clean-up was well under way, he said, with many farmers dealing with flooding and wind damage from the cyclone.

“I was talking to one farmer this morning who’s lost 100 pine trees out of one plantation,” he said. “They’re all just lying down, some of them with their roots still intact.”

The winter would be a real challenge, Hannah added. Maize crops on the east coast had failed, and farmers have not been able to make silage when planned due to the huge amount of rain recently.

Hannah believed farmers would get through it, however.

“Northland farmers have had these sorts of things before. They’re a resilient bunch, and I take my hat off to them.”