As a result of heavy rain, several roads in Ruapehu and Waitomo were closed by flooding and slips. Photo / Waitomo District Council
As a result of heavy rain, several roads in Ruapehu and Waitomo were closed by flooding and slips. Photo / Waitomo District Council
The extensive flooding in Waitomo and Ruapehu at the start of the week has caused severe damage to infrastructure, expected to cost millions of dollars and take years to fix.
Waitomo District Council said it knew several roads, bridges and other infrastructure had been damaged, but it would take sometime to assess the full extent.
Several major roads, including SH3, SH4 and SH43, are due to reopen today.
Alex Bell, Waitomo Civil Defence controller and the council’s strategy and environment manager, said some parts of the district were still underwater.
“There are many residents who are still coming to terms with the impact of the flooding.
Over the next few weeks, the council and roading contractors Inframax Construction and Pinnacles Civil will be assessing the damage.
In some areas, road closures are still in place.
“The flooding has caused a lot of slips and left behind a lot of debris, and there are also a lot of large vehicles and other heavy machinery on the roads as part of the recovery efforts,” Bell said.
“The road closures are in place for everyone’s safety, including our roading contractors. They have been working tirelessly since early Tuesday morning, and we appreciate their dedication to keeping our community safe.“
Over the next few weeks, Waitomo District Council and roading contractors Inframax Construction and Pinnacles Civil will be assessing the damage. Photo / Waitomo District Council
He said the teams were focused on reopening access, with long-term repairs to follow.
Waitomo Mayor John Robertson said the recent weather events were not the first to affect local infrastructure.
“Over the past few years, our roading network has suffered extensively due to several heavy rain events. No sooner have we completed repairs than we are hit again.”
The council’s thoughts were with residents who were still unable to receive support because of the flooding, he said.
Ruapehu is also assessing damage to its infrastructure.
Initially, it partially set up an emergency centre, and a handful of families self-evacuated.
Ruapehu District Council has since lowered its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) to level 1.
Only one home at Okahukura, next to the Ongarue River, had water inside it, the council said.
Anyone who has had floodwater on their property is asked to take extra care and practise good hygiene when cleaning up, as there are potential health risks from septic tank contamination, animal faeces and farm chemicals.
Ruapehu District Council said SH3 at Awakino had reopened, while SH43 between Taumarunui and Whangamomona, and SH4 between SH43 and SH3, were set to reopen at 5pm today.
For the most up-to-date information, check the NZTA journey planner.
The council said further works to repair damage would start on Monday.
The reopened sections of state highways will have multiple sites under stop/go traffic controls over the coming two to three weeks.
Road users are asked to expect additional travel times in these areas.
Ruapehu District Council also has an update on a range of local roads on its Facebook page.
It said the Taumarunui River walkway had suffered significant flood damage from the Ongarue and Whanganui rivers this week.
A large section of the track alongside the Ongarue River at Nga Huinga-Cherry Grove had been lost to the river, with other sections of the track heavily gouged out.
A section of the track alongside the Whanganui River by Victory Bridge had also been lost to the river.
“Please take utmost care and caution if using the track.”
People are asked to continue to call Waitomo District Council on 0800 932 4357 with any road outage information or if they have any welfare needs.
Ruapehu Civil Defence controller Clive Manley said calls for welfare assistance in the district had dropped off, but the team continued to provide support where required.
Anyone in need of help can call Ruapehu District Council on 07 895 8188.
Danielle Zollickhofer is the Waikato news director and a multimedia journalist at the Waikato Herald. She joined NZME in 2021 and is based in Hamilton.
