Waka Kotahi/Supplied
Slips on SH1 at Mangamuka Gorge, south of Kaitaia, continue to slip after last week’s heavy rain.
The worst fears of Far North residents may be coming to fruition with State Highway 1 south of Kaitāia closed indefinitely due to slips.
Last week’s heavy rain, which saw 500mm of rain fall in just days, cut off Kaitāia from the rest of the country and closed the highway at Mangamuka Gorge with slips.
Flooding also caused chaos, trapping people in their homes and claiming cars.
SH10, which was closed due to flooding at Kāeo, reopened on Saturday and is now available as an SH1 detour, adding about 30 minutes to a drive to Kaitāia.
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Mangamuka Gorge was closed by slips for a year after a storm in July 2020, and residents feared a repeat of the closure which cut the Mangamuka community in half and led to crashes on the alternate route.
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency tried to assess the damage over the weekend, but found parts of the road and surrounding hillsides are continuing to slip.
Waka Kotahi/Supplied
The heavy rain caused five under-slips at Mangamuka Gorge, where land has fallen away beneath the road.
Regional transport systems manager Jacqui Hori-Hoult said the rain had caused five new under-slips –where land has fallen away beneath the road.
Three will require permanent stabilisation, while two are slow-movement slips which will continue to be monitored, she said.
A timeline for rebuilding and re-opening the highway through the gorge won’t be known until geotechnical engineers had finished detailed assessments of all the damage sites, Hori-Hoult said.
“We understand the importance of this route to the people of Northland, and we will provide an update on the extent of the damage and the likely timeline for completing repairs as soon as our damage assessments are complete.”
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A surf rescue boat had to be used to rescue a woman from her flooded home, south of Kaitāia, on Thursday afternoon.
Meanwhile, a local route is also closed due to an under-slip caused by the heavy rain.
West Coast Rd is closed between Kohukohu and Panguru, due to subsidence near the intersection with Motuti Rd, said a Far North District Council spokesperson.
Ongoing movement means engineers have not yet been able thoroughly assess the slip and plan a permanent fix.
A detour for Mitimiti residents is available on Pawarenga Rd.
Minister for Rural Communities Damien O’Connor has allocated $30,000 to Far North rural support trusts and mayoral relief funds, to help farmers and growers impacted by the flooding.
The funding is on top of $120,000 for Tasman, Nelson and Marlborough, where residents are cleaning up foot-deep mud.
