HOKITIKA RIVER BLOCKED UP BY SEA SAND

Grey River Argus, 19 March 1947, Page 2

HOKITIKA RIVER BLOCKED UP BY SEA SAND

FOur Own Correspondent!. HOKITIKA, March 18.

The level of the Hokitika harbour river showed a rise of 12 inches from high tide on Monday to high tide on Tuesday. The tide dropped about three inches during the period. High water on Wednesday will be at. 9.16 a.m. and at 0.40 p.m, The water level is building up in the harbour area, due to the flow from the mounloins, and the outlet filling in each tide restricts the outflow. The bank at the mouth of the river is about four feet above high tide level, but. with the build up of the water level inside, it may break through the sand bank. The approach of the spring tides will mean a bigger rise in the tidal waters. Twlve- o’clock tide is reputed to be the highest on the West Coast, although many state it is 10 o’clock. At Hokitika the noon tide is the higher. A suggestion to cut a channel through the' sand-bank lo permit the waters to escape is one that is ofen adopted at Okarito and Okum, and many whitebait fishermen ent the river channels during the early part i’f the season. At Okarito the river mouth blocks up. anil the lagoon builds up tilt residents cut A channel to the sea. Hokitika haihour has in previous years been blocked up. and at one period the bar was unworkable for four months. Some residents remember the Gael being locked in Hokitika. The training walls wore l then in fair condition, and a sand bank lay across the river mouth from the north wall to the south wall. Many took the opportunity of walking dovn the north wall on to the sand bank and across the blocked up river mouth to the south wall. The waters escaped to sea through cracks in the piles of the north wall. Within a few days the river crashed through the bank, hard against the north training wall and the Gael sailed a afew days later for Wellington. An amount, of water is escaping by way of the present outlet to sea. It is questionable whether a cut through the sand bank would be successful, under the present weather conditions. With heavy rain, a cut would have the benefit of flood waters and a semi-permanent channel would be made, and within a few hours would be wall to wall in width. Should the line weather continue. the level within the harbour area will continue to build up. until the river finds a low place, or a weak spot in the bank. Engineers of the Public Works Department have made a complete survey of the harbour during recent months, and no doubt are watching the present situation with interest. The engineer at Greymouth (Mr D. S. Kennedy) would also be mere than interested in the present circumstances at Hokitika, as they must bear some resemblance to what is taking place at Greymouth, as the currents along the coast would have similar action at both ports. The position al Hokitika affords an opportunity to study harbour conditions, as the Hokitika River is reputed to carry more water than the Grey, although the Grey River is confined into one channel, while the Hokitika spreads out into three. The tidal guage at the wharf recordel 9ft. Gins, at high tide, and at low water the reading was 9ft. 3ins. Heavy seas of the past few days hammered the outlet, channel further into the beach, and the channel broke into the lagoon on its way to the sea. The harbour is now one stretch of water towards the creek from Lake Mahinapua, which is high and no difficulty would be experienced in getting to it by mot-or-boat.