“A huge effort has gone into re-opening sites as quickly and safely as possible,” DoC Hawke’s Bay operations manager Tryphena Cracknell said.
“Although all of this work has been carried out, it is important to understand that there is still so much to do, and we’ll be working on recovery for many months to come.”
Cracknell said work so far had been guided by what physical access they could achieve, as well as access to the necessary technical experts and contractors, machinery, and people needed to repair damage.
She also thanked the DoC team, whom she said had worked to support communities as much as possible.
“We have come a long way from those early days.”
Despite many uncertainties, Both Hawke’s Bay Regional Council and Hastings District Council have also given indications of when some of their parks could be fully open to the public again.
HBRC senior open spaces development officer Rod Dickson confirmed that three out of its four reserves are already open, with one tentative date for opening set for October/early November 2023.
“Pākōwhai park is fully open to the public. Pekapeka is open but one boardwalk requires repair. Waitangi is 95 per cent open to the public, but Waikahu wetlands remains closed due to railway repair work.
“Tutira Regional Park remains closed due to major damage from Cyclone Gabrielle. The tentative date for opening Tutira Regional Park is late October/early November 2023.”
Dickson said it was important to note that lake Tutira, which has been subject to recent controversy over council lack of action, is owned by Maungaharuru Tangitū Trust.
“The land immediately around the edge of the lake (and the park entry) is managed by Department of Conservation (DOC). We own and manage the parkland that is east of the lake. We are working with DOC to get the main entry and facilities operating safely again.”
A spokesperson for Hastings District Council said it wasn’t possible to give definitive opening times for parks and reserves across the district, but they could give a rough indication for some.
For Tauroa Reserve, the Tauroa Boardwalk and Lower Tauroa Reserve is open.
“The Upper Tauroa Reserve still has tree work to be done and footbridges replaced, with the aim to be open by Christmas subject to no unforeseen delays,” the spokesperson said.
The Lower Tainui Reserve is also open; however, the Upper Tainui still has tree work to be done with no definite reopening date yet.
The Upper Karituwhenua Stream walkway is open, but there is no opening date as yet for the lower Karituwhenua Stream walkway.
A very popular destination for tourists and locals alike, Maraetotara Falls is partially open with limitations and access restraints.
The toilets and carpark are available, but there is limited access on the trail due to washouts and trees down with no opening date yet.
Roys Hill Reserve, however, is fully open.
Two of the district’s worst hit locations, Puketapu and Eskdale Park, are still under public consultation with no timelines set until a plan is developed.
The spokesperson said Eskdale Park was also still waiting for land status confirmation.
Napier City Council confirmed that no parks or reserves if theirs were closed from the cyclone.
Ecological tests still being done
It’s not just the closure of Hawke’s Bay parks and reserves that could prevent fun this summer.
A rāhui is in place for the majority of the region, and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council says work still needs to be done to determine the best way to ecologically recover the region’s lakes and rivers.
Sandy Haidekker, team leader of freshwater and marine science for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council, said land sediment and everything that came along with it was driving the ecological impact on rivers and lakes.
“The force of the flood flows, plus sediment and organic matter loss, has had a long-lasting effect on rivers and lakes and is still clearly visible without lab analysis,” Haidekker said.
“Slips and damaged stream banks are still sparsely vegetated, unstable, and continue losing sediment to rivers.”
Haidekker said thick in-stream silt layers were still apparent in many places, which had smothered the stream beds and contributed to turbid water.
“Aquatic life was washed out where there is no floodplain to take refuge from fast-flowing water. In areas where sediment is smothering the stream bed, there is limited habitat for returning aquatic life.”
She said rivers and lakes in Hawke’s Bay were generally not monitored in winter for swimming, but that the wide range of impacts may be a problem for some time.
“If visiting recreational sites, it is still important to be aware of any changes in riverbanks, sediment, beach slope, bars, currents and debris.”
Long-term fixes weren’t that simple, Haidekker said, and would still require significant research.
“Projects that focus on rivers and lakes are targeted to answer the question: How long do ecosystems take to recover from the cyclone impact, and will there be a new normal, or will it get back to the pre-cyclone state?
“We aim to identify where ecosystems are more resilient and recover faster (or to a better state) than others. We link them to land factors, so we know what to do better in the future - to get less damage and better ecological recovery.”
Cracknell added that DoC and Hawke’s Bay Regional Council have worked closely together in the last six months to provide environmental monitoring to assess and mitigate the wider impacts of the cyclone.
While Hawke’s Bay Regional Council is the lead agency for waterways, she confirmed monitoring them was an ongoing process and DoC was helping to progress results as quickly as it was able to.
Concerns about the state of Hawke’s Bay’s environmental status were also shared by local iwi Ngāti Kahungunu, who last month held their 12th annual Kahungunu Fish Hook Summit.
The conference, which was attended by approximately 240 participants from Wairoa through to Wairarapa, focused on the current state of Hawke’s Bay’s environment, specifically regarding waterways and the recent devastation caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
“Our natural environment has been severely degraded, not just by natural disasters but poor management, polluted waterways, damaged mahinga kai, over-abstraction of water and much more,” environment and natural resource specialist Ngaio Tiuka said at the time.
“Despite the tragic cyclone, there is an opportunity to learn and work towards improving our planning, saving costs through wider considerations and recognising the value of mātauranga Māori and more natural solutions,” added another environment and natural resource specialist, Shade Smith.
Mitchell Hageman joined Hawke’s Bay Today in late January. From his Napier base, he writes regularly on social issues, arts and culture, and the community.
