Thames Township Badly Flooded

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29767, 9 March 1962, Page 12

Thames Township Badly Flooded

(New Zealand Press Association)

AUCKLAND, Mar. 8. Thames township was badly flooded today. Road and rail links were cut and for some hours, until the heavy rain stopped late in the afternoon, the borough was isolated.

The Kauaeranga river became a raging, debris-laden torrent, spilled its banks after noon and cut off the southern residential area of the town. Householders in this area and between Thames and Kopu evacuated their homes.

Many parts of the town were under water and only because the peak flooding coincided with low tide was disaster prevented. The Kauaeranga bridge, the southern access to the town, was threatened by huge logs which hurtled down the flooded river with destructive force. Two fishing launches at the Shortland wharf at the mouth of the river were holed by the logs and washed away. The Defender, owned by Mr R. G. Lee, was stranded on a mud bank, and the other, the Rod, owned by Mr D. Pulford, was half submerged not far away. Three other launches were torn from their moorings. In the town itself, floodwater from the Rape creek, which •overflowed in the morning, was 2ft deep in the

southern end of the P< n street shopping area. The Warwick Arms Hotel was sandbagged to keep out the encircling water. Shops, business premises and backyards were flooded. Schoolchildren from country areas around Thames were sent home at noon.

Workers in toe worst part of the flooded town waded through chest-high water tonight to reach their homes. Victoria Park was a lake of muddy water. Nearly 2in of rain fell in the borough between 9 a.m. and noon. Blocked Roads

There has been widespread flooding in the Hauraki Plains area, soaked pastures in the Waikato and blocked roads with slips and floodwater.

More than an inch of rain was recorded in Auckland between 8 aan. and 6 pan. The Waikato and Waipawa rivers are rising slightly, but are only * foot or so above normal. In the Orini area the Whangaroa river is filling rapidly and is expected to spill over on to low-lying farmlands. But serious flooding is not expected. Great Barrier Island had more than Sin of rain today. An exceptionally high tide which rose Ift above the usual spring tide mark threatened to sweep over the decking of the Port Fitzroy wharf.

Wool bales in the wharf shed were hurriedly stacked on boxes. On the other side of the bay Cooper's Wharf, which serves the Post Office, was completely submerged.