FLOODING IN NORTH; TOWNSHIP ISOLATED

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31257, 2 January 1967, Page 1

FLOODING IN NORTH; TOWNSHIP ISOLATED

(New Zealand Press Association)

WELLINGTON, January 1.

Heavy rains in the southern half of the North Island have caused flooding and landslips which have disrupted road and rail traffic and isolated people in two areas.

About 200 holidaymakers and residents are isolated near Cape Palliser.

More than six inches of rain since Wednesday has swollen rivers and creeks and washed out roads. A road was partially cleared today to the township of Rangiwahia, near Palmerston North, which was isolated by slips yesterday. The North Island main trunk line and State highway No. 1 were closed today by slips. Early this morning the Auckland-Wellington express was stopped at Taihape after subsidence between Utiku and Mangaweka. Road traffic on the main Auckland-Wellington highway was diverted just south of Mangaweka while a slip was cleared. One creek in the Cape Palliser area, which usually is almost dry, is reported to be eight feet deep. A top-dressing aircraft which flew over the area today dropped food, including bread, to stranded holidaymakers.

“Flooding has been more severe than in winter,” said

the lighthouse-keeper at Cape Palliser (Mr B. Woolcott). The postmaster at Rangiwahia (Mr T. McLachlan) said tonight that the road south to Kimbolton could be traversed with care, but the other three routes from the township were still blocked. “It is a shambles,” Mr McLachlan said. “The landscape has been disfigured and the land saturated.”

On the Apiti road today a front-end loader was bogged, and a bulldozer sent to rescue it was bogged also.

Little rain fell in the district today, and residents hope for fine weather to give gangs a chance to clear the roads. Early this morning the Auckland-to-Wellington ex-

press was stepped after a 20foot subsidence left part of the railway track suspended. Passengers were taken to Wellington by bus.

No other rail services were affected.

The north express had already passed Mangaweka and no goods trains were running. Workmen had repaired the subsidence today and the line was cleared tonight for passenger trains. Road traffic was halted this morning when a slip blocked the main Auckland-Welling-ton highway just south of Mangaweka. Traffic was diverted while the slip was cleared. By midday the highway was open to one-way traffic.