Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime accepts the list of state highways and roads to pass onto the PM. Photo / Jenny Ling
Northlanders have responded to the call for the worst stretches of state highways and roads in record numbers, driving home the urgency of the issue for motorists.
More than 50 emails, along with hundreds of comments on social media, have poured in from frustrated and fearful residents concerned about the abysmal state of the roads they drive on every day.
Their responses come after Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern asked the Northern Advocate for a list of the worst roads during her trip to the Far North Solar Farm last month.
There were numerous comments citing "all of them", along with "SH1 from Warkworth to Kaitāia" and "it would be quicker to list the good parts".
However, many were more specific.
Delice Gregory regularly drives SH12 between Ōmanaia and Ōpononi, where "the surface is so uneven it's frightening - the car gets thrown from one side of the road to the other".
Adele Jones pointed out there are plenty of pensioners driving from Kerikeri to Auckland or Whangārei for specialist appointments, often returning after dark.
"The worst are the three humps near Kawakawa. Meeting an oncoming truck at night is terrifying," Jones said.
Ian and Glenise Stark, who travel from Kerikeri to Whangārei regularly for medical reasons, have noticed "the road conditions are worsening with every trip we make, to the point where they are becoming dangerous."
Many residents highlighted SH14 from Dargaville to Whangārei as extremely poor, including Brent Bartley who said it's "the most dangerous and terribly sealed of the main highways in Northland".
"I never know if I am going to make it back alive".
Marjorie Anderson said the route between Waimate North and Whangārei Hospital, which she has travelled three times a week for several years, was "grossly unsafe".
"Three broken windscreens and many paint chips later, the roads are in worse condition now than when I started," Anderson said.
"I struggle to think of a long, continuous stretch that is both safe and free of potholes or ripped up seal, apart from Akerama."
Katrina Gascoyne said Omaunu Rd in Kāeo is in "third world condition", being unsealed and full of "rain-gouged mini culverts, potholes and small sinkholes".
For Todd and Anna Bolton, who own Black Robin Transport tours in Northland, it's "very embarrassing when we take tourists in our region and we have to apologise for the state of our roads."
Mangonui Haulage transport manager Sean Sparksman said SH10 is even worse since the closure of Mangamuka Gorge for 12 months.
"The road through Herekino and Broadwood is worse, with numerous slips and drop-offs.
"You can literally see our stock crates wracking and twisting as we drive through them, and you know there is going to be damage."
A couple of residents even extended their own invitations to the PM.
Max Love said 75 per cent of the main road between Whangārei and Paihia was in an "appalling state" and invited Ardern to drive the highway "and see if she can drink a cup of coffee and not spill it."
Martin Hutchinson also invited Ardern to drive around Northland "in a normal car, not a luxury car with extra springing", which "will soon give her all the evidence she needs".
Should Ardern take up the challenge, it wouldn't be the first time a politician has been persuaded to brave the region's roads to see where improvements are desperately needed.
In 1917, Kaitaia businessman Colonel Allen Bell convinced parliamentarians to participate in a car tour to highlight Northland's poor roading.
MPs, Roads Board members, business managers and a handful of reporters were among the 100 people in 33 cars who set out from Devonport in Auckland to Kaitāia via the east coast and back through Ahipara, Herekino, Broadwood, the Hokianga, Kaikohe and Dargaville.
The travellers enduring a fortnight of choking dust, torrential rain, deep mud, bogged vehicles, burst tyres, and capsizes on roads so bad that only 10 cars completed the journey.
When questioned about the roads during the July interview in Kerikeri, Ardern said while she couldn't comment on specific areas, she would seek advice from Waka Kotahi about the worst spots if provided with a list.
Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime, who accepted the list on Friday, said she would give it to the PM's office who would seek details from the Minister of Transport, Michael Wood, and they would "provide responses where they can".
However, because many of the responses were very general, it would be difficult to pinpoint exactly where the problems are, she said.
"To get the best outcome for everybody is to have more specifics about the issues that are there so we can ask Waka Kotaki and the councils what's planned for the areas concerned."
Two ambulance officers have described having to navigate bumps, potholes and rough patches on Northland roads and state highways which can cause their patients to scream out in pain.
The ambulance officers wrote to the Northern Advocate following our story about the state of the region's roads and Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's request for information about the worst spots.
Emergency medical assistant Jeff said he is constantly scanning the road to avoid rough patches while transporting patients to Whangārei hospital.
Jeff said much of his work involves travelling along SH1 from Ruakaka to Whangārei, where there is "lots of broken-up seal that bumps patients around".
"When I'm driving, I spend all my time watching the road and trying to negotiate those bumps.
"The stretcher is designed to be firm so we can treat someone and do CPR, so it's not like a soft, spongy bed.
"The poor patient is lying there with a serious fracture or they're seriously sick...sometimes they scream out saying 'what are you doing'?
"But we can't help it, we're doing our best."
But it's the 2km stretch of road from the city centre, along Maunu Rd to the Hospital Rd traffic lights, that riles Jeff the most.
"It's so close to the hospital and our patients are so tender and they don't need to be bumped around so much.
"I have to negotiate a track to try and dodge all the road imperfections to protect my patients in the middle of town.
"I hate to inflict more agony on our patients so let's get that couple of kilometres attended to."
A Kerikeri ambulance officer, who didn't want to be named, said she often transported patients to Kawakawa or Whangārei Hospital.
"This is always very uncomfortable and painful for patients, with uneven surfaces and potholes," she said.
"My biggest gripe, aside from the frequent windscreen replacements, is that roads that are repaired seem to lose their surface tarseal very quickly, and just seem to break down."
Former patient Vera Hayward was recently transported from Whangārei Hospital to Auckland Hospital in the transfer ambulance.
"It was a very uncomfortable experience being constantly bumped around over the potholes, strapped to a gurney in a vehicle with minimal suspension," she said.
"I suggest the PM does this journey on a gurney in the same vehicle to see how bad things are for Northland travellers.
"For the most part, SH1 from Auckland north is nothing more than a second-class rural road".
From road trip with AA Northland District Council chairwoman Tracey Rissetto:
SH1 through Pakaraka, Moerewa and Turntable Hill
SH1 around Towai and Waiomio
SH1 south of Hūkerenui and the Maromaku turn-off
SH1 Kawakawa to Whangārei, before Hikurangi
Broadwood, Hokianga
Intersection SH1 and SH15 between Ōkaihau and Ōhaeawai
SH11 after Lemons Hill
SH10 near Oromahoe
Along Wiroa Rd near Kerikeri cemetery
Reader's contributions:
SH1 north of Auckland: Andrea Robinson, Debz Debz, Donnella Kāhu and Hayley Miles
SH1 north of Warkworth: Kylie Fagan and Carrie Irvine
SH1 north of Wellsford: Peter Jones
SH1 Kaiwaka to Te Hana: Sara Teal
SH1 Brynderwyns to Whangarei: Nigel Chadwick
Paihia to Whangarei, apart from Akerama: Iain Whitaker
SH1 Whangarei to Kawakawa: Sheryl Metcalfe
Whangarei to Auckland: Tisha Burkhardt
Whangarei to Kerikeri: David Stringer
SH1 Hikurangi to Kawakawa: Gerhard Uster
Whangarei to Wellsford: Zachary Alison
Kawakawa to Hokianga: Charis O'Neil
Whangarei to north Hokianga: Diane Vryer
SH1 Maromaku to Towai: Janine Ford
SH14 Dargaville to Whangarei: Brent Bartley, Chris Davidson, Sue Rokstad, Lee Mccullough, Steven Brown, Jasmine Horton, Rose Dixon and Sam Gibson
SH12 Dargaville to Brynderwyn: Sue Rokstad
SH12 Omanaia to Opononi: Delice Gregory
Mangamuka-Kohukohu-Punguru and Mangamuka-Broadwood-Ahipara: Glenda Cammell
Waikaramu Rd, Waimate North: Grant Anderson
Moerewa, Springs Flat Rd, Kamo and Waiotoi Rd, Ngunguru: Diana Moratti
Waikare Rd between Karetu and Waikare: Vicky Lawson
Three Bridges near Kawakawa: Adele Jones
Hone Heke Rd and Kapiro Rd, Kerikeri: Matthew Tyler
Russell Rd, Rawhiti Rd, and Manaoroa Rd to Russell: Moa Cowin
SH14/SH1 intersection at Whangarei Hospital lights, and Kokopu Block Rd: Alan Ward
Maunu Rd from city centre to Hospital Rd lights: Jeff D'Ath
Horeke Rd from bottom of Okaihau hill to t-junction: Paratene Pehi
Haruru to Paihia and Taumarere to Kawakawa: Kyra Appz
Haruru Falls to Paihia: Todd and Anna Bolton
Opua to Whangarei: Max Love
Opua to Kawakawa: Marie Flower
Russell to Kawakawa: Maggie Sales
SH1 Kawakawa to Towai: Ian and Glenise Stark
SH10 Waipapa to Kaeo: Paige Rudolph Parangi
Omaunu Rd, Kaeo: Katrina Gascoyne
Whakapara to Kamo: Howard Shelford and Mick Kelly
SH1, Ruakaka to Portland especially Oakleigh: Karen Sandoy
Otaika Valley Rd: Dennis Leveridge, Nikkita Ujdur and Amy King
Hales Rd, Whananaki south: Herman Ducrot
McLean Rd, Waipu: Bruce Matheson
Waipu Caves Rd: Ria Migaloo
Snooks Rd, Waiotira Rd: Natalie Walker
SH15 Mangakahia Rd: Rochelle Johnson
Otuhi Rd, Maungatapere: Tanya Petrove
Ruapekapeka Rd: Werner Pospiech
Jobe Rd, Maungakaramea: Maree Thomsen
Corner Mangakahia Rd and SH14 and Otaika Valley Rd from SH14 to SH1: Kay Reed
Judges said they were impressed with the first-time entrants' overall excellence.