'Don't come to Piha,' locals say, as sightseers block access to those in need
Friday, 17 February 2023
Locals have one message for sightseers flocking to a township hit by Cyclone Gabrielle: “Don’t come to Piha.”
The small community on Auckland’s west coast was smashed by the cyclone on Monday night, with the devastation described as “off the charts”.
Residents were still without power days afterward and were feeling isolated, Waitākere ward councillor Shane Henderson said.
”One of our key focusses at the moment is making sure those residents have food and water and the necessities.
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“The most important thing right now is for tourists to not go to Piha.”
Piha is often touted as a tourist destination because of its popular beach.
Henderson said tourists had returned to the area as the weather cleared and it was becoming difficult for emergency services to manage and coordinate response efforts.
“Tourists have started to come back and they don’t necessarily know the situation. It’s becoming difficult for us to access locals.
“Any transport links we may be able to open at the moment must be used to provide food and the necessities for people that live in Piha.”
He said it was also a safety risk as the main road was unstable and prone to slips, making it “extremely dangerous”.
“If you go to Piha, you’ll be putting yourself at serious risk. Tourists, please do not go to Piha.”
During the course of Cyclone Gabrielle, Waitākere recorded 248mm of rain, causing widespread flooding and power outages.
Henderson said because of the loss of power, food in fridges and freezers had started to spoil.
Residents had resorted to sourcing food from gardens and food banks.
“Residents will be needing food over the next few days, but the issue is access.”
Henderson said councillors were in constant contact with Auckland Emergency Management and Auckland Transport to work out a vital road link back into Piha.
“Piha Rd remains severely unstable and awaiting assessment. There are slips all over the Waitākere Ranges affecting a lot of the vital road links, but this one in particular is terrible.
”You’re looking at several hundred people affected in the Piha region. It’s sad and gutting.”
An Auckland Emergency Management spokesperson said 12 tonnes of supplies were delivered by air and ground into Piha on Wednesday.
“This included water, food, baby and sanitary items, medicine, portable toilets and a satellite phone.”
The spokesperson said access to those areas remained compromised, and agreed people should “please stay away”.
“Please do not add additional pressure to these communities by trying to visit them,” the spokesperson said.
A Vector spokesperson on Wednesday said Vector continued to face challenges accessing some areas because of blocked roads, but with the drop in wind strength, it had been able to send up a helicopter to assess the damage in Piha and Muriwai.
”This will give us a clearer idea of what we are facing and what will be required to restore power, how it can be done and how long it’s likely to take.”