HEAVY RAINFALL

Hawera Star, Volume XLV, 16 May 1925, Page 5

HEAVY RAINFALL

IN THE KING COUNTRY

ROADS DAMAGED BY FLOODS

WORST FOR- MANY YEARS

(BV TELEGRAPH PRESS ASSOCIATION. TE KUITI, May 15. Torrential rainfall is reported in all parts of the northern King Country. On the mail route to- Te Waite re, two miles from the Ma-rokopa dairy factory, four feet of water covers the road. There are .smaller floods in various parts on the route- between Maro-poka and To Kuiti. The Maw>kopa River is still rising. The concrete bridge over the Kiriteh.ere River, about 27 miles from Te Kuiti, was partly wrecked, being sunk four feet below the road level. Several bridges on the same- route are badly damaged. Thirty-nine miles from. Te-Kuiti 30 feet of tlve road was washed -away. The Kiri teller© was falling this, morning, but the heavy rain to-cta-y will make, it rise again. The worst floods in the- Kiri te hero district for twenty years are being experienced. On the- New Plymouth road, halfway to Pi© Pio, the passengers were transferred over the flooded road" by dray to a. oar on the apposite- side. A bad -slip is- reported on Mount Messenger, and there is a, wash-out between Awakino and Ma-hoenu-i. The service cars from New Plymouth, have not yet arrived, and it iis not probable that they will arrive to-night.

The water receded on the racecourse this morning, hut was. rising again -this evening. Residents sita-to that they have- never known the Mangaekewa River to, rise so quickly, The Awakino, and Mokau Rivers both burst their banks, and /lips continue tn come down faster than, they can he cleared. NORTH ROAD BLOCKED. Owing to slips on the Main North Road, it is not anticipated that there will he service connection between Te Kuiti and New Plymouth before Monday. The heavy rain brought down several slips on the south side- of Mt. Messenger, the Mokau River is in heavy flood and is impassable, and there are further slips on the Awakino Val!ev Road. /