Tide backs up river

Press, 23 June 1986, Page 1

Tide backs up river

Water across Clarendon Terrace may have stopped this car but it did not stop Jai Naish, aged 13, from showing off his cycling skills yesterday. Exceptionally high spring tides caused flooding along the terrace yesterday as the Heathcote River lapped the top of its banks. Residents in the street were faced with driving or wading through water 30cm deep to get to their properties. One had to get help to tow his car out after it got stuck in a gutter. Not only residents had trouble. Sightseers who could not resist attempting to ford the water came to grief in one or two places. The safest form of transport seemed to be bicycle or canoe.

The water in the Estuary was also very high, lapping the sea wall, although never threatening to go over. Surface flooding occurred in parts of South New Brighton, in Long Street, Avonside Drive, and in Clarendon Terrace and Richardson Terrace.

To stop the sightseers

in Clarendon Terrace the Ministry of Transport closed the road last evening. The flooding is the result of a sequence of heavy spring tides. The Christchurch Drainage Board had been working along Clarendon Terrace and Richardson Terrace to strengthen the banks to stop flooding during high tides. For the board yesterday’s peak came too early, as work on the banks is not yet completed. The high tides were predicted and the board’s chief engineer, Mr Peter Hunt, expects similar tides today about 7 p.m. and tomorrow about 8 p.m.

Further heavy tides, although not as high as the present series, are expected in the next few weeks. Mr Hunt said the tidal banks would be ready by then. No damage had been done to the Woolston Cut excavations by the floodwater, Mr Hunt said.