Footage shows aftermath of flooding north of Otorohanga, with a ute coming to grief at a washed out bridge entrance on State Highway 39 just south of Mangati Rd near Puketotara. Video / Wayne Feisst
A highway bridge where a ute crashed to the ground after the structure partially collapsed because of floods is now “toast”, a resident says.
Bridge 520 on State Highway 39 is less than a kilometre from where another motorist lost their life near the highway’s Kiwi Rd intersection when hiscar became submerged in floodwaters amid torrential rain that swept across Ōtorohanga and neighbouring districts yesterday.
A ute driver escaped injury after crashing into a bridge washout on State Highway 39 during yesterday's flooding, a resident says. Photo / Wayne Feisst
Ngutunui resident Wayne Feisst saw the bridge, located just south of Mangati Rd, near Puketotara, before the ute driver – who he’d been told escaped harm – came to grief sometime overnight.
“Wow, there was some rain through here last night,” Feisst said as he videoed the aftermath this morning. His footage shows a partially washed-out bridge covered in debris and mud.
“The water was going right over it [last night] … [now] you can see the whole deck of the bridge has slumped, and the abutments on the other side have gone too – it’s toast.”
He went to the scene last night after a friend travelling from Te Awamutu saw a farm bridge “floating down the river”.
Bridge 520 on State Highway 39 south of Mangati Rd, near Puketotara, suffered a partial washout amid flooding in parts of Waikato last night. Photo / Wayne Feisst
A ute pictured after crashing into the gap left by a washout of Bridge 520 on State Highway 39, near Puketotara. Photo / Wayne Feisst
The farm bridge had “wedged up” on the side of the highway bridge, Feisst said.
Floodwaters were flowing over Bridge 520 on State Highway 39, near Puketotara, on Friday night and it has been badly damaged, resident Wayne Feisst says. Photo / Wayne Feisst
“That’s blocked over half the bridge and that’s what’s caused the water to go around the end and wash out the abutments. [Last night] the water was completely across the road and it was obvious from the currents that it was washing the abutments of the bridge out.
“We got hold of the council but they were absolutely flat tack with slips obviously everywhere.”
A view of damaged Bridge 520 on State Highway 39. Photo / Wayne Feisst
He got a “hang of a shock” to see the ute crashed into the washout when he returned at first light.
“There was fortunately nobody inside … [later] there was a guy there and it was his mate that had driven off. [He said] he wasn’t hurt, just a bit heartbroken because it looked like it was a fairly brand new Ford Ranger.”
The heavy rain began about 1.30pm Friday and “just carried on and on and on”, Feisst said.
There was serious flooding in parts of Ōtorohanga and surrounding districts on Friday night. Photo / Wayne Feisst
The gauge on the dairy farm where he lived recorded “250-300mm of rain in eight hours”, and there was lots of thunder and lightning with it, he said.
“It was the sort of rain that you can hear it pounding on the roof … we’d have a gap for five minutes and then it’d come straight back again.”
Farm worker Jano was among those beginning the clean-up after deadly flooding in parts of Waikato overnight. Photo / Wayne Feisst
He’d escaped flooding but had seen a hazelnut farm crop “decimated” and a maize crop and silage almost ready for cutting that had been “totally wiped out”.
It'll be a busy day for roading contractors, with slips such as this one in the Puketotara area likely. Photo / Wayne Feisst
About half an olive orchard was also gone, Feisst said.
