Wild weather causes ocean diesel leak, floods, slips on Coromandel Peninsula

Monday, 1 June 2020

Flooding on farmland near Hikuai in the Coromandel.

Parts of the Coromandel Peninsula were closed due to flooding as the first day of winter made its presence felt.

Heavy rain and blustery winds hammered the upper North Island on Monday.

Coromandel Peninsula got a drenching overnight, causing slips, closing roads and making travel treacherous on the long weekend.

At midday on Monday, State Highway 25 between Tairua and Hikuai was closed due to flooding that immersed farmland and roads.

Flooding on low-lying farmland near Thames.

* Weather: Flood warnings as heavy rain, gales forecast for Gisborne, Bay of Plenty

* First the pestilence, then the flood - Coromandel farm park's post-lockdown reopening drenched

A large tree also fell on Manaia Road, along State Highway 25, blocking both lanes of the highway.

The weather left a commercial long-liner taking on water and leaking diesel in Whangamata Harbour, while a yacht broke its mooring and washed ashore in Flaxmill Bay.

Both vessels were expected to be salvaged when conditions improved.

Waikato police were urging all motorists to take care on the roads, with six crashes reported between 7am and midday on Monday in the district. Most were due to motorists not driving to the conditions, Senior Sergeant Pete Simpson said.

The Whiti Farm Park was meant to reopen after 10 weeks in lockdown, but a deluge put a dampener on that.

'The roads are wet and there is a lot of traffic, so please slow down and keep a safe travelling distance.'

Kopu saw 204mm of rain in the 24 hours to 7am on Monday and the Waikato Regional Council's Pinnacles weather station recorded 197ml up to 8.15am Monday.

Those who made the trip to the peninsula for Queen's Birthday were asked to delay non-urgent travel or plan for delays.

There were various slips and debris on the roads throughout the peninsula, particularly on the Kopu-Hikuai and the Tairua-to-Whitianga route, Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler said.

Fenceposts emerge from floodwaters near Hikuai.

Wade Stream, just before Whitianga, was rising rapidly and expected to flood the road.

'As expected, we've been hit with some heavy wind and rain resulting in surface flooding and slips making driving conditions hazardous.

Sam Clarke's farm in Hikuai is 70 per cent underwater and rising.

“If you visited the Coromandel for the long weekend, thanks for visiting and supporting our local businesses. We encourage you to delay your travel today if possible and plan ahead for significant delays.”

Residents and visitors were urged to hunker down and stay put until the water receded on Monday evening, Towler said.

The alternative route to State Highway 25, the 309 road, was closed.

The Whiti Farm Park, in the Coromandel, was met with an estimatedÂ 250ml downpour on Saturday night - hours after reopening their doors since the Covid-19 lockdown.

“Please wait this out. We want to ensure you get home safely rather than create more risk for you, your family and our emergency services,” Towler said.

There are around 150 animals at Whiti Farm Park, in the Coromandel.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand were also monitoring the main route out of Pauanui and advised it was safe to leave at this time.

Heavy rain already closed a Coromandel farm park due to flooding on the first day of reopening after the Covid-19 lockdown.

A deluge bringing 250mm of rain on Saturday damaged fences, deposited silt throughout sheds, washed out bridges, and left one Scottish highland cow washed a kilometre downstream.

About 70 per cent of Sam Clarke's farm in Hikuai was under water, and was expecting more rain and flooding to come.

'The water is up to the top of the fence posts in some areas. It's a couple of metres deep and there is still a lot of rain to come.'

As of 1pm on Monday, Clarke had 500mm of water run from the pinnacles into his river catchment.

Residents and visitors in Tairua were also being asked to conserve water.

Rivers were carrying a lot of sediment due to heavy rain, Towler said, which meant the treatment plan had to work hard to clean water.

Tairua and Pauanui Refuse Transfer Stations were closed.

'The volume of safe, clean drinking water that can be produced when the sediment load in the rivers is high, is lower than under normal circumstances.

'We have also had a water break in the Paku Drive area, so until the team have finished repairing this pipe, this is also reducing the available water for our customers.'

More heavy rain was expected to pass over the North Island on Monday as a deep low moves south, Metservice reports.

The system was forecast to bring rain and strong east to northeasterly winds to northern parts of the country with the heaviest rain expected in Northland, Coromandel and the eastern Bay of Plenty where a heavy rain warning was in place.

A gale wind warning was issued for areas from the Waikato north including Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, Rotorua, Auckland and Northland with strong easterlies expected.

Gusts of 137kmh were recorded on White Island overnight and at Tiritiri Lighthouse in Auckland recorded 109kmh.

Given these regions haven't experienced strong easterly winds for an extended period of time, the Metservice was advising people to ensure all items and structures were secure.