Coromandel flooding: properties damaged, cows swept to sea, sheep drowned

Wednesday, 11 September 2019

As floodwater recedes, Garrick Simpson plans to scour the coastline for his missing cows and bury a friend's flock of drowned sheep. 

Six of his heifers may have been swept out to sea during a storm that battered the Coromandel Peninsula in the early hours of Tuesday. 

Kuaotunu, a small coastal settlement, bore the brunt of the storm's damage. 

Garages and backyards were fully submerged, paddocks disappeared underwater and major slips have seen the township cut off.  

READ MORE: Coromandel Peninsula flooding: Highways remain closed after downpours

The Coromandel region received heavy rain on Tuesday with more than 260mm of rainfall recorded on the Pinnacles over the last 24 hours - more than double the 110mm predicted. 

Swollen rivers and streams saw a number of roads closed, with locals urged to avoid travelling throughout Tuesday. 

On Wednesday, the main road in and out of Kuaotunu, north of Whitianga, remained closed due to a major slip.

No-one had expected such severe flooding, so there hadn't been time to prepare, Simpson said. 

Once the worst of the storm had passed, he'd found his herd of cows on the beach. 

'[They] got washed out of their paddock, basically.'

But six remained unaccounted for on Wednesday morning. 

'It's a bit of a hit, really.' 

A friend's small flock of sheep had drowned in their paddock, too. Simpson planned to use his tractor to help bury them on Wednesday. 

While he's yet to thoroughly survey the damage to his farm, a quick look around revealed badly damaged fences and at least 10 slips.

Simpson, who volunteers as a firefighter and has lived in Kuaotunu most of his life, hasn't seen the township take such a hit since he was a child, more than 40 years ago. 

Even the local fire station had flooded during the heavy bouts of rain. 

'We've got a fair bit of damage to tidy up.

'You just can't really dwell on it. You just get on and just do it.'

Flooded roads meant Hannah Anderson, a GP, couldn't get out of Kuaotunu to help a woman in labour at 4am, whose midwife was stranded at Cook's Beach.

Thankfully, another doctor, who wasn't on call, went to help her. 

Anderson managed to leave for Whitianga four hours later at 8am, but the SH25 slip meant she was stuck there overnight with her three-year-old daughter. 

Meanwhile, her husband and one-year-old daughter were at home in Kuaotunu.

'Our house is okay, our entire backyard was completely underwater.' 

Thankfully, it drained away fairly quickly, although she understands not everyone was so lucky. 

'I don't think anyone realised how bad it was going to be.' 

All roads have reopened, except a stretch of State Highway 25 in Kuaotunu, Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler said on Wednesday. 

'That is due to a substantial slip that occurred yesterday … It's affecting about 14 properties at the moment.'

Contractors will be working to clear the slip throughout Wednesday, and council staff will check roads to ensure they're safe. 

'There may be still be minor slips and debris, so please still take care on our roads over the next few days,' Towler said.  

A council road, called Black Jack Rd, reopened by the afternoon but was down to one lane. 

And it appears most homes have escaped the rain unscathed. 

'We're aware that a number of garages and basements had water through them. But we're not aware that any living areas were affected. 

'In saying that, there are a large number of properties on the Coromandel that are holiday homes,' Towler said.  'Until those people come to inspect or the neighbours do a check, we might find out in coming days that there has been further evidence of water through properties.'

But it's business as usual for most locals. 

'It was a significant storm … We do rate it as one of the more significant weather events we've had in recent years.'