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A large landslip near Kawakawa Bay that cut off the main access road and forced six homes to be evacuated is still moving.
The hillside slip, just north of the coastal township south-east of Auckland, began last Sunday, closing the Kawakawa-Clevedon Rd _ the latest slip in dozens
around the country after months of rain.
About 500cu m of debris fell from Turei Hill on to the road last week and the slip moved around 45mm in only 12 hours on Friday. Yesterday experts said the area was still moving, which was a significant risk.
Manukau City Council would not allow its workers into the slip area. Residents have been warned against walking along the foreshore and road beneath the shifting slab of earth.
"It's like a sleeping giant sort of thing, isn't it?" said resident Bruce Ashby, who has lived in the town for the past 15 years. "I just want Mother Nature to sort it out now."
Six properties have been vacated, including one home built only four years ago that sits on top of the hill.
Electricity generators have also been brought in to service the community in the event of power cuts.
Fred and Ans Bloem, whose home is the closest to the base of the hill, left their home on Friday after being told the situation posed a serious danger.
"We've been following all the slips in the news, but it's personal now," said local nurse Ans from their room at a nearby motel, where they were staying with minimal possessions taken from their home. "It's totally different when you are in the situation."
The couple had already packed to go on a holiday to Fiji this week, but ended up taking their suitcases to the Beachcomber Motel instead, and cancelling their trip.
They would be staying in a friend's house for the coming weeks, but had no idea when they might be able to return to their home.
"We are still full of hope that it will be all right. It could be a lot worse."
In the motel unit next door, Catherine Dewar had left her home of 35 years after a hurried 30 minutes of packing, as it too has been declared unsafe for habitation.
"I guess now we just wait. We can't do anything else," she said.
Geotechnical experts were continuing to monitor the slip and said it still posed a "significant" risk. The hill had moved just "tens of millimetres" yesterday, but Rick Walden, economic director of Manukau City Council, said that was "extremely significant".
"Hills aren't supposed to move that far. Hills aren't supposed to move at all.
This is extremely dangerous, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of debris could come down at any time. It is very inconvenient for residents, but safety has to come first," said Walden.
The road below was predicted to remain closed for a month, although there would be regular reviews. Security guards were stationed at either side of the roadblock to warn people against walking past the slip.
Some residents had parked their vehicles at the top of the affected hill, and walked down the bank and along the foreshore to reach their homes to avoid the longer drive around the back of the coastal settlement.
A ferry and bus services were being put in place by the council, starting tomorrow, and some alternative temporary routes around the landslide were also being investigated.
Peter Nichols, who moved to the bay around 12 years ago, said the event had brought the community together.
"It's an ill wind that brings nobody any good," he said.
"It's amazing how the community has gelled together really."
The huge landslide is one of hundreds that have occurred nationwide during the past two sodden months.
The more serious slips had seen back yards disappear before residents' eyes; caused the evacuation of dozens of families from their homes; and repeatedly blocked state highways, from Northland to Kaikoura.
The severe storm on July 31 saw 14 houses in Torbay under threat. One, in Lingham Crescent, was declared uninhabitable and demolished.
A house in Omokoroa, in the Bay of Plenty, was left teetering precariously on the edge of a giant slip after a storm, while several residents of Glenfield's Mulberry Place were also evacuated.
Smaller slips were recorded in West Auckland and three St Mary's Bay properties in the city were also evacuated, as were two homes in Wellington.
In the latest North Shore slip, four homes in Unsworth Heights remained under evacuation notice, after a 50,000-tonne deluge of soil.
The slips were triggered by torrential rain over a prolonged period _ more than double the average fell across many areas of the country during July and August.
North Shore mayor Andrew Williams said more than 20 North Shore households had been evacuated due to the rash of slips, with eight families still unable to return to their homes while the monitoring of land movement continued.
Auckland Civil Defence spokesman Jim Stevens warned landslides could occur very quickly, but there were warning signs residents and property owners should look for, including:
- Doors, windows, and/or cupboards suddenly not shutting properly.
- Cracks on walls or ceilings.
- Cracks appearing outside in the earth, especially if they occurred suddenly during winter.
- Movement in brick work.
- Drains that appeared blocked, but not from a build-up of leaves.
If residents observed any of the signs, it was advisable to contact the local council or a qualified builder to check out the land, Stevens said.
