Civil Defence Minister Faafoi to visit Thames Coast

Civil Defence Minister Kris Faafoi is to visit Thames, Te Puru and Kaiaua tomorrow for a briefing on weather damage and recovery activity and to visit the two of the most affected communities.

We're in the final stages of gathering and collating damage assessments and should know soon how many properties were affected.

The Thames Coast Road (SH25) between Tararu and Manaia is open to all traffic in escorted convoys travelling alternately in both directions, and travellers can expect potentially long delays.

"There are currently cordons at Thames and Manaia, at the junction of the 309 Road, where traffic can assemble for convoys which will leave approximately every 30 minutes," says NZTA.

"The convoys have been split into two, to help affected residents make their local journeys easier. The southern convoy is travelling between Thames and Te Puru, while the northern convoy is travelling from Te Puru to Manaia.

"While the road is open to all traffic, motorists are asked to defer their journey or take alternative routes if possible, so the recovery team can concentrate on repairing the road rather than managing traffic," NZTA says.

We're expecting delays to tomorrow's scheduled Kerbside rubbish collections tomorrow on the Thames Coast, so please bear with us.

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