CLOUDBURSTS MAKE HAVOC

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 59, Issue 4283, 24 May 1950, Page 8

CLOUDBURSTS MAKE HAVOC

' DELUGE ON PENINSULA PORT CHARLES SUFFERS MOST STOCK'LOSSES THROUGH FLOODS Much havoc was created on the Eastern half of the Coromandel Peninsula and many thousands of pounds worth of damage was done as a result of torrential rains following a cloudburst in the hills behind Port Charles. Fortunately no one.was injured but the residents of Port Charles, most of whom slept through the storm, declare that it was the worst happening yet to the the settlement. The postmaster at Port Charles stated to a Gazette representative that it was estimated that between 11.30 on Thursday night last and 1 a.m. on Friday morning about 10 inches of rain fell in Port Charles. At the same time a cloud burst up in the hills from which great waves of water cascaded down the hills flooding the lower levels. In the only road from the settlement a hole about! 5 feet deep was made and the school building was wrenched from its foundations. Flats were covered with silt and fences swept away and left in a tangled mass.

.. One of the properties to suffer most in the Port Charles area was that of Mr H. Bronlund at Stoney bay, north of Forth Charles. As a result of the water rushing down the hillsides it is estimated that 200 acres of grass lands have been swept' bare of pasture. Out of some 50 paddocks on the 3000 acres fann only about four, are left with topsoil and vegetation. So far it is hot possible to accurately estimate the loss of stock which is thought to be considerable. Many miles, of fencing have been cartried tfwhy and washed out to sea. Gullies are a tangled mass of boulders, silt, logs and debris and the entrance to the farm’s boatsheds have been sealed up. Of the launches used in the management of the farm one is for' trensporting wool to Auckland aH<Mhe other .for the farm supplies from Port Charles. Parts of & bay now show a depth of Only 18 inches of water where before there was a depth of eight feet. In the surrounding hills the landscape is marked with numerous slips. (Everywhere there are washouts and bridges have disappeared. The water driven plant which supplied electricity has been put out of action but fortunately no lives were lost or injuries suffered. -Latest reports from Port Charles are that a light car has been able to get through to Coromandel but much work needs to be done by bulldozers before heavy traffic can negotiate the road. It was hoped to have a bulldozer working yesterday. Little rain fell on Sunday or Monday. In response to an appeal to Mr A. S. Sutherland, M.P., he replied that the Ministry of Works had issued' instructions to the district engineer at Paeroa to investigate the position and on Monday morning Messrs V. C. Bosselmann and L. G. Qldham left for Coromandel. Damage at Sandy Bay Mr C. A. Bartley was one of the heaviest sufferers through the deluge.He heard the roar of the torrent near Sandy Bay and a foot of water flowed into his honge, the receding waters leaving the floors covered with inches of silt. It will be a hard winter for most of the farmers in the Sandy Bay area with, their flats covered with silt and a considerable portion of their hiM pastures scoured out. Mr Bartley’s flats suffered'particularly in this respect. > k jniliiug shed was no longer to be seen and fences too were carried away*

Some idea of the torrent of water deposited upon the Port Charles area can he gauged from the fact that the Okaiha creek , which usually carries about 12 to 18 inches of water rose to a depth of 10 feet, overflowed its banks and spread all over, the surrounding country. Some 40 concrete pipes up to four feet in diameter which were ready to be used in the construction of the road to Stoney bay were swept away and some are in the feea and others- Scattered over the country side. Engineers Make Inspection Messrs Bosselmann and Oldham made an inspection of the damage to the roads in the Port Charles area on Monday and in speaking to a Gazette representative stated that the damage to the road to Coromandel from Port Charles was not as great as had been anticipated. There was a Jremendous amount of timber and logs, some in great heaps and others scattered everywhere, which gave a very good idea of the magnitude of the deluge which had swept the settlement. It hid made a nasty mess of the farm

lands and heavy damage had been done by the destruction of fences and pastures. QI —. .... ■ . FLOOD AT WHITIANGA BRIDGES & FENCES DESTROYED Heavy rain fell at Whitianga on Thursday and Friday, a total of §.34 inches being recorded for .the. two days. It continued throughout Saturday and again on Sunday, the total for the four days being just on seven inches. Though not causing as much damage as at Port Charles, roads became blocked, streams overflowed their bands, bridges were swept away, there were large slips on the hills and stock was carried away in the swirling waters which flowed over the farming lands taking fences away and leaving a mess of silt and debris. Fofur miles Whitianga the Dunsdale bridge, in the course of construction, was carried away, with the temporary bridge as well, severing communication between Whitianga on the one side and all settlement on the other to Kuaotunu. At Messrs McLeod Brothers at Kaimarajna, about five miles out from Whitianga, stock had been lost in the flood waters. At Coroglefci, Mr L. A- Oliver suffered losses of stock many of which were seen, by settlers lower down, being carried (away towards the sea. A great collection of timber, logs and posts, belonging to Mr Paul Jovanovich was swept away and carried mostly tout to sea and residents of Whitianga during the week-end in -boats were reaping a veritable harvest in the collection . of firewood. Kuaotunu Temporarily Isolated One of the problems created by the havoc was that on taking the mail to Kuaotunu, which was isolated for a time but thanks to the efforts of Mr M. R. Hodge it was taken through and delivered at Kuaotunu on Saturday morning. Mr Hodge made the trip on foot carrying the mail on his back for some 10 miles. Mr Hodge was first of all sworn in at # the Whitianga Post Office and set out on his trip on Friday afternoon. By good luck he was helped across one swollen stream by means of a settler’s horse and reached the top <xf Kuaotunu hill at 7.15 p.m., some . seven miles from Whitianga. Having to detour on account of slips he spent the night at Waiatai bay. The mail is being taken regularly now and a temporary bridge has replaced that washed' away but is not being used for vehicular traffic. Tairua Area Reports from Tairua told the story of roads blocked to traffic. Creeks were running bank high and it was feared that the wharf might be damaged l by the considerable collection of logs and wreckage caught up in the structure. Settlers worked to clear the timber away. One pile had sunk and weakened the wharf, making it less able to withstand the strain put upon it by the heavy timber which was being continually carried against it by the current. Night on Mt. Moehau

Two Auckland University College students, who were caught on the top of Mt. Moehau (2935) feet) at the height of the storm, had a most uncomfortable night in a rough shelter which they built of manuka brush. They were Messrs Rewi Moynihan and Telford McAdam and they were of a party of 25 members of the college field club engaged in carrying out geology and botany studies on the peninsula. The two were none the worse for their experience, the other

members of the party being at Fletcher’s Bay. Damage at Whenuakite At Whenuakite a cloudburst was responsible for a heavy flood in the settlement and surrounding area. There were heavy losses of stock though not quite so heavy as had been estimated last Saturday. Farmers were rowing over their cow paddocks in boats and rescuing stock. The road

to Tairua was first of all blocked but has since been cleared. The bridge on the road to Hot Water beach was washed' away and much damage has been suffered 1 by farmers in the way of fences destroyed." Now that the waters have receded and it is possible to gain a better estimate of the loss suffered reports to hand indicate that the greatest loss lies in the destruction of fences, the cost of. replacing which will be very heavy.

Enquiry from the Coromandel County Council disclosed that the road from Coromandel to Whangapoua wasi completely blocked with slips. A bulldozer was at workj during the week-end in an endeavour to cut a track through to enable supplies to be taken to settlers. On the No. 309 Highway (Coromandel to Mercury Bay) slips on the Mercury Bay side completely blocked the road between the No. 14 and 16 bridges. Several days will elapse before communications are restored. At Mercury Bay a small bridge on the Buffalo beach was washed out. Since that report was received from the Coromandel County Council the road between Coromandel and Whitianga had been again made clear for traffic and a normal service was running.

Yesterday Messrs Bosselmann and Oldham proceeded from Coromandel to Whangapoua to make an examination of the roads and bridges in that area. Generally over the whole peninsula the flood waters had disappeared, streams were almost 'back to their normal flow of water and communications were once more open.