Weather update 5 January 3pm

"As a result of storm damage, heavy rain and king tides over the past two days the Thames Coast Road, State Highway 25 has suffered significant damage," says NZ Transport Agency System Manager Karen Boyt.

At this stage, the Transport Agency does not think the Thames Coast Road will open today, however, this will be updated via social media channels if a lane is safely able to be opened later today.

“In many places seawalls have been damaged and whole sections of the road have been washed away by the storm surges which have also left the road littered with rocks and debris. Other areas of the Thames Coast Road have suffered upheaval of the road surface as the sea and debris have severely damaged the road surface and the underlying layers,” says Ms Boyt.

SH25 is currently closed between Tararu (immediately north of Thames) and Manaia. In order to help establish access to coastal communities, NZ Transport Agency contractors have set up a pilot vehicle convoy for residents only which will run from Tararu through to Te Puru. Through traffic will not be permitted. All other State Highways and Council roads around the Coromandel Peninsula are currently open.

“On Friday significant efforts by Transport Agency crews were made around the eastern Waikato to keep roads open with fallen trees and debris closing SH2 near Ngatea and SH29, as well as crews working to remove debris on the Thames Coast Road and create rock bunds to protect eroded sections of highway from further erosion. These crews are now all focused on the Coromandel Peninsula," says Ms Boyt.

“Today we are working to assess and categorise the damage to allow us to prioritise repair work. Working with Civil Defence, the first priority is to restore access to Thames Coast communities and open the road to at least one-lane," she says.

“We encourage people who can avoid this area to stay away from SH25 so crews are not impeded and keep highways for emergencies and residents only use."

“There are currently seven crews working along the Thames Coast Road, SH25, to start rebuilding rock walls and clearing debris. We have three crews working on repairing rockwalls and four crews using graders, excavators and broom trucks to clear debris,” adds Ms Boyt.

If you are trying to leave Coromandel the way out is through Whitianga to Tairua, traffic delays are expected.
"Recovery will take some time and we are asking people to please be patient," says Garry Towler, our Civil Defence Controller.

Mr Towler and our Mayor Sandra will have a live update within the next hour.

We are working really hard to get our skip bins to effected areas. We expect these to be these to be available as soon as possible, within the next 48 hours. In the meantime, you can dump you flood damaged items at the Thames Refuse Transfer Station for free of charge provided the following information is provided:

• Name
• Licence plate number
• Property address that the items were removed from
It would also be really helpful if the items were pre-sorted (carpet, white ware etc.)
Powerco has cut power to the following streets in Te Puru:
• Sarjants Road
• West Crescent
• Aputa Avenue
• Tatahi Street
• Seaview Avenue
The power will be off until they deem it is safe to turn back on. The power is still on and off across the District. Check here for further details or contact your electricity company.

We are assessing the need for porta loos at Aputa Avenue, Tetahi and Seaview Roads in Te Puru, as power won’t be restored to these roads today. The public toilets are also being assessed. Toilets will be sent out once need is established, they are expected to be in place by this afternoon.

Potable water is available at Te Puru campground.

Our 24-hour Customer Services phone line is back online, however we are still experiencing some issues. If you have any issues with our main line 07 868 0200 please call us on 07 868 0206 until 5pm this afternoon.
In Whangamata some residents are experiencing discoloration of their water supply. One of the water sources is higher in an iron oxide which makes it a yellowish colour. The team have checked the filters but as they say no health issue.

The Pauanui water treatment plant was able to recommence production of water from late yesterday, but customers are asked to conserve water as demand is met and reservoirs refilled. The water being supplied in Pauanui throughout the weather event has remained safe and potable with no issues with quality.

Hannfords Wharf is closed until it can be inspected by a marine engineer later today. Coromandel Wharf appears OK but will also be inspected. A number of private jetties leading off the main wharf there have been damaged and appear unsafe.

DOC has confirmed the Pinnacles Hut is open. The road is open with some metal washout but still driveable for two wheel vehicles.

The Thames to Kopu and Kopu to Kaiaua sections of the Hauraki Rail Trail has been closed due to damage to the foreshore stopbanks along which it runs. That damage will be inspected next week.

If you must travel, check NZTA's website here first for the latest information about road closures. You can also use their journey-planning website to plan the best route for your journey, taking into account known issues and traffic on state highways.

We'll also include updates on known local Council road closures here. If you see a Council road that is impassable due to flooding or a debris, call us on 07 868 0200. If you have any issues with our main line please call us on 07 868 0206 until 5pm this afternoon.

Check MetService for the latest weather forecasts.
Waikato Regional Council has set up an online hub for rainfall and flood related information to help people more easily keep up to date with severe weather events in the region. It can be found at waikatoregion.govt.nz/flood-room
We will post regular updates on our Council's Facebook page as well as on our website and email newsletters.
We still have a Total Fire Ban in place until at least 8 February, which includes bonfires and fireworks. See www.tcdc.govt.nz/fire for more information.
The rain should help replenish reservoirs and water tanks, but we're still facing water restrictions due to high use and also filtering sediment and silt that will be coming through from this weather event. We will be reassessing the reservoir levels within the next 24 hours to see if restrictions need to be changed. See what restrictions apply on our website www.tcdc.govt.nz/water.
The Shapeshifter concert in Whangamata is going ahead this evening. Click here to view the events on around the Coromandel and refer to specific sites for details.