Key Takeaways
- Heavy storms have devastated parts of the upper North Island, causing widespread damage to roads and infrastructure.
- Crews have been working around the clock to repair and reopen roads, with good progress made across many affected areas.
- The East Coast has been particularly hard hit, with limited access via guided convoys on SH35 and a massive slip blocking the road between Te Araroa and Pōtaka.
- All state highways in Northland and Waikato have reopened, but clean-up and traffic management efforts continue in some areas.
- The rail line connecting Hamilton to Tauranga and Bay of Plenty was initially closed due to slips and land damage, but has since reopened.
Introduction to the Storms
A week after heavy storms devastated parts of the upper North Island, work has continued to repair and reopen roads left damaged by slips and floods. The severe weather forced the closure of several key highways in affected regions, leaving some communities cut off. Transport Minister Chris Bishop said that the priority has been to restore connections as quickly as possible, with crews working around the clock to assess damage, clear slips and debris, and repair roads.
Efforts to Reopen Roads
Since the storms, crews have made good progress across many of the affected roads, but there is still work to be done. Bishop said that the East Coast has been particularly hard hit, with guided convoy access operating on SH35 between the Taurangakoau Bridge and Te Araroa at set times each day. The section between Te Araroa and Pōtaka remains closed due to a massive slip involving nearly 250,000 cubic meters of material. The slip is the most severely damaged section of SH35 and will likely take the longest to reopen.
Regional Updates
In Northland and Waikato, all state highways have reopened, with clean-up and traffic management efforts continuing in some areas. The rail line connecting Hamilton to Tauranga and Bay of Plenty was initially closed due to slips and land damage, but was reopened within a day, allowing freight to continue moving. A 50m section of track on the line south of Tauranga needed to be rebuilt after being forced to close due to slips and land damage. On the Coromandel Peninsula, five sections of State Highway were closed at the height of the bad weather, but four have since reopened, including SH25 between Coromandel town and Kūaotunu, SH2 through Karangahake Gorge, SH25 between Hikuai and Whangamatā, and SH25 between Kūaotunu and Kūaotunu West.
Challenges and Next Steps
The scale and complexity of the slip on SH25 between Whangamatā and Whiritoa mean that it will stay closed for a longer period, with an expected reopening date in February. SH2 through the Waioweka Gorge in the Bay of Plenty remains closed, as crews work to clear damage caused by 40 slips that occurred across the route. Bishop said that crews are dealing with a mix of large overslips and underslips, with an estimated thousand truckloads of material still to be removed. Teams are working from both ends of the gorge, seven days a week, with the priority being to reopen at least one lane as soon as it is safe to do so.
Conclusion and Future Plans
Over the coming days and weeks, crews will continue their work to repair and reopen roads. Even where roads have reopened, there are still many single-lane sections, lower speed limits, and traffic management in place. The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) is actively monitoring the network and will move quickly to respond if further damage occurs. Bishop said that the government will continue to support communities affected by this event, while investing to ensure the transport network is more resilient for whatever comes next. The focus will be on rebuilding and strengthening the transport infrastructure to minimize the impact of future storms and ensure the safety of road users.
