Weather and Roading Update #5 4:30pm

Sailors Grave road - 100m south of turnoff on ocean side a slip has undermined the road caution is required. Photo: Stef Durre

Heavy rain is expected to continue to fall on the Coromandel Peninsula this evening and overnight until the low weather system passes tomorrow morning. Metservice has also issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Coromandel valid until 6am Thursday.

There could be localised rainfall rates of 25 to 45mm/hr, Metservice is warning.

Rainfall of this intensity can cause flash flooding, especially about low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips. Driving conditions will also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain.

Any severe thunderstorms could also bring localised strong wind gusts exceeding 110km/hr, as well as the possibility of a small coastal tornado.

In Whangamata, emergency evacuations took place at Williamson Park.

"Emergency evacuations took place today at Williamson Park Whangamata, as the storm water catchment lake had to be lowered to alleviate residential flooding", says Thames Valley Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler.

And Stony Bay is completely blocked off due to a slip that is near to the end of Port Charles Road, Stony Bay, covering the entire road. Contractors have been alerted.

For the whole of the Coromandel, Mr Towler's advice is: "We are advising people to stay off the roads if possible, but if you must travel please take extreme caution."

"Before you venture out, please check the current status of roads and waterways."

Here is the situation at 4:30pm:

Road Closures:

Local Roads:

· Tapu-Coroglen open to one lane at Coroglen end

· Wentworth Valley Ford is impassable due to flooding

· Black Jack Road is open to one lane due to a slip at approx 1km from SH25 (Kuaotunu side of Blackjack Road Hill)

· Sailors Grave Road - Open to one lane 100m south of turnoff on ocean side where a slip has undermined the road - caution is required.

· There is also a slip between 9 & 23 Sailors Grave Road, Tairua, covering half the road.

· Colville Road - completely blocked 1.5 km north of the Papa Aroha Motor Camp, between Papa Aroha and Amodeo Bay where a tree has fallen. Contractors are on way to clear it.

No other District roads are reported closed.

State Highway network:

· SH25 Tararu - Kereta due to multiple slips in the area this road is closed.

· SH 25a Thames To Sh25 Junction - Due to a slip along this section of SH, the eastbound lane Is blocked. Contractors are on site providing stop-go traffic managment. Expect delays or avoid the area if possible.

For State highway updates (including Thames Coast Road and Kopu-Hikuai Road) see the NZTA website and follow NZTA Waikato BoP on Facebook.

Hauraki District Council Update:

Waharau Community is isolated

Council engineers have advised that Waharau Bridge on East Coast Road north of Kaiaua is closed to all traffic.

A large slip on East Coast Road has blocked access from the north of the seaside village, so the community is completely cut off for vehicular access on both sides.

Hauraki Civil Defence has sent teams to assess the situation and offer assistance to residents.

Waharau residents have pedestrian access only. The bridge will be closed for approximately a week, for repair. The flood waters are undercutting the abutment to the bridge making it unsafe and this is expected to worsen as waters rise. Residents can stay updated via this page on the Hauraki District Council website and via their Facebook page.

Rubbish Collection:

The blue bag rubbish collection for Coromandel Town today was cancelled due to road closures. It is now scheduled for Saturday.

Power Outages:

No outages for our district have been reported.

To check for outages and report faults see www.powerco.co.nz/power-cuts

Tide Times:

Thames:

Thursday 6 April - High 02:41 3.7m
Thursday 6 April - High 15:10 3.6m

Whitianga:

Wednesday 5 April - High 14:05 2.0m
Thursday 6 April - High 02:40 2.0m
Thursday 6 April - High 15:06 2.0m

River Levels:

To check current levels see the Waikato Regional Council website www.waikatoregion.govt.nz/services/regional-services/river-levels-and-rainfall

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