WORST FOR YEARS

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19624, 7 May 1938, Page 4

WORST FOR YEARS

TRAVELLING ON COAST “SHOCKING CONDITIONS” MOTORISTS GIST THROUGH MANY SMI’S ON ROAD “The condition of the East Coast highway from Ruatoria to Gisborne is shocking and much worse than ever I have seen it, particularly from the junction to the Mangatuna School,” said Mr. W. Piesse, a traveller who has had 10 years’ experience on the road and who. returned to Gisborne last evening from Ruatoria.

The Gisborne motorist travelled through to Ruatoria on Tuesday and was storm-bound on the northern section of the Coast from Tuesday to Thursday. Residents said that the Waiapu River had not been so high for 20 years and it was feared that the banked-up water would break through into the town at one stage. On the way down from Te Puia to Tokomaru Bay on Thursday evening Mr. Piesse was told that he would have to make the trip through the Mangahauini Valley at his own risk, but decided to take the chance as he fell that his years of driving on the road had given him the necessary experience to be able to negotiate the slips. The highway had been more seriously damaged than he thought possible and slips and a wash-out had considerably narrowed down the track

Ford at Tokomaru Bay At Tokomaru Bay the piles for the extension of the bridge were on the site yesterday, and ail through ears were forced to use the ford. The depth of water in the crossing was not serious, but the boulders in the creek bed were difficult to negotiate. Several ears were stopped in the stream on account of water splashing up on, their ignition systems and the breakdown truck’s services were called upon several times. The Hikuwai River had overflowed its banks in the vicinity of Arero and lower down at Mangatuna, leaving heavy deposits of silt on sections ol the highway. In places between the Anaura Bay turn-off and the Mangatuna School the deposits were banked up at least 4ft. high on either side of the road level and the surface was extremely narrow and slippery. At no place was there room for two cars to pass.

Mr. Piesse paid a tribute to the splendid work that had been carried out by the roadmen in opening up these sections of the highway. Men were working on the road and repairing the damage from Ruatoria to Gisborne.

From Mangatuna to Tolaga there were slips of varying sizes and at one point the river had washed out a section of the surface of the road. Stuck at Tatapouri

News of the slip at Tatapouri was learned by Mr. Piesse when passing through Tolaga Bay, but he decided to carry on. He arrived at Tatapouri, on the Turihaua side of the slip, at G p.m. yesterday and he, a truck driver, and Mr. B. Gardner, the driver of the service car, decided to make use of the beach detour together. The service car became stuck in the wet sand, but the others got through to the approach on the Gisborne side before the rear wheels of the car driven by Mr. Piesse dropped into a soft patch. The service driver was able to drive his way out of the soft sand and then as he approached Mr. Piesse’s car his vehicle became stuck again in the sand. Assistance was called from town and the last of the vehicles was on the road at 7.30 p.m.

CONDITIONS OF HIGHWAYS SUBSIDENCES ON COAST WARNING TO MOTORISTS "Many of the old subsidences on the Sugar Loaf, Tuparoa, and Panikau hills on the Coast route are on the move again as a result of this week's heavy rains and motorists are warned to watch for drops in the road level at those points,” said the district engineer, Mr. O. G. Thornton, this morning. Despite these conditions, the road was open to Hicks Bay, the' Gisborne end of the route depending entirely on the tidal conditions at Tafapouri. Cars were now able to get through the ford at Faulkner’s Reserve. Muriwai, and as far as the slip on Joblin’s Hill. The Tiniroto route to Wairoa was open and in reasonably good order. Highway conditions are as follows: Gisborne-Wairoa, via Morere. — Closed to through traffic. Gisborne-Wairoa, via Tiniroto. — Open. Gisborne-Opotiki, via Waioeka Valley.—Open. Gisborne-Hieks Bay.—Open during the day, but closed at Tatapouri at nigh tide and throughout the night.

48 HOURS’ RAINFALL TIN. AT TIKITIKI (Spwiinl to tho Herald.) TIKITIKI, this day. The rainfall recorded at Wairoro station, Tilcitiki, for the 48 hours ending at 9 a.m. on Thursday was 7in. Much damage has been done to the roads again. The main road to Te Araroa was blocked by a wash-out 12ft. wide and 12ft deep half a mile north of the Maraehara bridge. The newly metalled Tc Hue road and the Poroporo road also were badly damaged by slips, traffic on the latter road being blocked by several large wash-outs. Mr Bush’s woolihed at Te Hue was flooded to a depth of several feet, and one wall forced outwards by the weight of silt anil water. The contents, which included some wool and furniture, were badly damaged.