The closure of State Highway 1 at Mangamuka Gorge means hundreds of Far North residents have to drive hours more each day, forcing some to consider moving or changing jobs.

The highway has been closed since heavy rain battered the region on August 18 and 19.

A total of 19 slips have cut through the gorge and Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency does not yet know how long it will take to reopen the road, as the ground continues to move.

But last time the highway was closed, after flooding in July 2020, the gorge was closed for a year and cost $16.2 million to fix.

READ MORE:
* SH1 closure, flooding force Northland locals to get creative
* Heavy rain in Northland closes SH1 south of Kaitāia indefinitely due to slips
* State Highway 1 to Kaitaia opens a year after devastating Northland floods

Hōreke resident Maryanne Bedggood​ works as a kiako (teacher) at Māori immersion school Te Rangi Aniwaniwa in Awanui.

The highway closure has turned a 45-minute commute into a 1hr 45min slog each way, daily, via SH10 through Kāeo.

Last time Mangamuka Gorge was closed, Bedggood travelled 1hr 20min through Broadwood and Ahipara, but now finds the narrow road is in too poor a state to comfortably drive.

“That road is quite narrow and quite traumatising with logging trucks and a few slips, plus just before Ahipara there are some caverns on the road.”

Bedggood said with climate change making heavy rain events more frequent, the two alternative routes to the gorge need to be better maintained, with Kāeo frequently closing due to flooding.

After this storm, Nelson and Marlborough attracted a visit from the Prime Minister but the Far North is getting left behind, she said.

Bedggood has been teaching at Te Rangi Aniwaniwa for about six years and loves it so much that “shifting work is not an alternative”, she said.

But she is looking for accommodation closer to work which would suit her and her animals, at least until the gorge reopens.

Up to 1300 vehicles a day normally use SH1 at Mangamuka.

Hokianga resident Alesha Norman said many of those commuters are having to make different decisions about their lives because of the closure.

The social worker ended up leaving her job in Kaitāia during the last closure of Mangamuka Gorge because of the distance it added to an already long commute.

Her journey from Waimā to Kaitāia would normally take 1hr 30min, but with the gorge shut, it took 2hr 10min through SH10 – or 1h 45min plus a $20 ferry ride through Rāwene, Broadwood and Ahipara.

Norman is pleased she was able to find a job in Kaikohe, especially with increasing petrol costs.

But her brother has moved house due to the latest closure, as his commute from Waimā to Ngataki now takes too long.

Other Far North residents feel like they have no choice, however.

Sinead Lawless and partner drive from Kaitāia to Whangārei each Friday to pick up her stepchildren, then drop them back on Sunday.

The detour has increased the 2hr drive to 2hr 30min each way, leading to 10 hours of driving each weekend.

“It’s very draining – emotionally, physically and financially – but we don’t have a choice if we want to see our kids,” Lawless said.

A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said it is still assessing the damage and any decisions about the nature of repairs – and the time needed to complete them – will depend on the assessment.

The organisation hopes to update the community as soon as it can.

“We’re completing the damage assessments as quickly as possible, but it’s important these assessments are thorough, and the work must be undertaken carefully in order to ensure the safety of our workers, with the ground conditions in the gorge still highly unstable in places.”