HEAVY RAIN ON WEST COAST

Press, Volume LXXXIX, Issue 27221, 12 December 1953, Page 8

HEAVY RAIN ON WEST COAST

DAMAGE TO BULLER GORGE ROAD RAHU SADDLE IN POOR CONDITION (From Our Own Reporter) WESTPORT, December 11. Heavy rain fell throughout the Weit Coast today, damaging roads and causing minor flooding. ‘ The Oti-ra route remains open, but motorists are advised against attempting to use the Rahu saddle section of the Lewis Pass route. A slab of limestone about as large as' Westport’s biggest hotel slipped on to the Buller Gorge road near Whitecliffs this morning, forcing travellers to and from Christchurch and Nelson to make a detour by way of the Westport-Greymouth coastal road until the stone was broken up and removed. Part of the Westport-Mokihinui highway at Jones creek wasieroded, and the road at Gouldings * creek, near Nikau, has been eroded to a stage where it is dangerous to light traffic. There was surface flooding in Greymouth for the third time this week, and a Father Christmas procession had to be abandoned because of steady, heavy rain. In - the last s|x weeks there have been only three completely fine days on the West Coast. RAIL-CAR 65 MINUTES LATE The rail-car from the West Coast arrived at Christchurch 65 minutes behind schedule last evening. A swollen creek between Waimanga and Hurakere on the Westport section of the line made the bridge unsafe, and passengers were brought by bus to Stillwater, a distance of 25 miles. The Railways Department advised last evening that the line is now open.