A vehicle remains stranded on the riverbank hours after being apparently abandoned by its driver. Photo / Paul Taylor
A vehicle remains stranded on the riverbank hours after being apparently abandoned by its driver. Photo / Paul Taylor
By Doug Laing
A vehicle rescue on a flood-prone coastal riverbank has become the straw that broke the camel's back for the Hawke's Bay Regional Council which is installing a gate to try to block "illegal driving" access to part of one of the region's most popular reserves.
In oneincident two weeks ago, a miscreant driver stranded on the Waitangi Reserve, between Napier and Clive, had to get help from a road gang working nearby with a grader to recover a light truck.
Council staff inspected the site over the following days to decide the best option and but for the logistics would have had the gate installed at an opening off a sealed carpark on the Napier side of the Ngaruroro River mouth by the end of last week.
The game's up, and so, soon, will be the gate. A vehicle about to be salvaged by a road gang's grader in the Waitangi Reserve. Photo / Supplied
But even before the Waitangi Reserve gate has been installed more vehicles have come to grief, including three thought to have been bogged down since late Wednesday. Two four-wheel drive vehicles remained stranded well into Thursday afternoon.
"We've been watching this behaviour unfold over the last few weeks," he said. "That seems to be the location of choice."
Public concern mirrored that of the council which posted images and its intentions on Facebook on Wednesday, attracting 60 comments in three hours, one apportioning blame to "young idiots" and saying that genuine four-wheel drive enthusiasts were more careful and appreciated the surroundings.
Regional council team leader open spaces Russell Engelke says the gate at the park is intended to stop "illegal driving" on the grass and stopbanks around the reserve, at the northern end of the wider Waitangi Regional Park.
Vehicles which have used the carpark by an opening between the bollards and chains for legitimate activity such as fishing and boat launching have other access options, but Engelke said that the preference is to have no vehicles on some parts of the area, especially where it may disrupt wildlife and its breeding, including eggs laid in shingle.
He said the illegal driving is dangerous for the drivers and the public, also risks the "integrity" of the stopbanks.
Car wash, this way. Another vehicle apparently stranded on Waitangi Reserve today (Thursday). Photo / Paul Taylor
Installation of the gate is, however, part of the council's ongoing enhancement of the reserve and the wider regional park, which also includes an "overflow" carpark for education and community events, a boat launching area along the river edge for fishing and recreational use like kite surfing, and are doing more plantings.
Engelke said the council is currently preparing a document for the benefit of the variety of users of the area, whether fishing, walking, horse riding or others.
The Hastings District Council was also on Thursday publicly lamenting damage caused by vehicles to its parks and reserves, posting an image of grass ripped-up on the Sylvan Road side of Windsor Park at the weekend.
There's also been recent damage in its area to Romanes, Eskdale and Flaxmere parks, a roundabout near the Pakowhai dog park, and Roy's Hill Reserve.
"We have new damage most weekends at the moment," said council marketing and communications adviser Abbie Harris.
Damage has worsened with the advent of rain over the last two to three weeks, but last month vehicle damage was evident over as much as a kilometre of the Marine Parade foreshore reserve in Napier, following the first rain amid the drought, with the impacts minor because of the hardness of the ground.
