COAST HIGHWAY

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 19625, 9 May 1938, Page 4

COAST HIGHWAY

“PRECARIOUS CONDITION”

TATAPOURI SLIDE STOPS

MA NO ATTAUINI MOVEMENT

"The Coast highway is in a precarious condition. It is open, but that is about all that can be said for it," said the district engineer, Mr. O. G. Thornton, this morning.

Although several sections of the route were troublesome, he said that the main concern now was with the highway at Mangahauini, north of Tokomaru Bay. That area was troublesome in the past and there was a fear that portions of the road would fall away into the stream.

Reporting on the slip at Tatapouri, on a section of the hillside half-a-mile beyond the hotel, the resident A. A. patrol Mr. D. M. McGregor, said that there had been little noticeable movement in the landslide between Saturday morning and this morning. Although showers of rain were falling this morning in Gisborne, the weather had been line at Tatapouri. It was doubtful if the debris in the slip had settled down completely, and the detour by way of the beach was still subject to tidal conditions. Other District Outlets

Men were still working on the slip at Trafford’s Hill, but the road to Opotiki, via the Waioeka Valley, was open. Trailic was climbing over the track cut through the slip and men were engaged in removing the spoil from the road. The watercourses wero fordable. The service cars on the Morere run between Gisborne and Wairoa were able to complete their journeys yesterday, the slip on Joblin’s Hill having been opened up for traffic. The ford at Faulkner’s Reserve, Muriwai, is fordable by large cars, but would be dangerous to-day for vehicles of low clearance.

In connection with the Tiniroto State highway to Wairoa, the A.A. patrol said that the route was open. In the vicinity of Waerenga-o-kuri the surface was reasonable, the highway skirting the bluffs at Hangaroa was in fair condition, and the', creek near Mr. Gray's was slightly over normal this morning. The route was not advised for motorists driving the light type of vehicle. The condition of the highways out of Gisborne at midday to-day was as follows:

Gisborne-Opotiki, via Waioeka Valley.—Open.

Gisborne-Hicks Bay.—Open; detour at Tatapouri open subject to favourable tidal conditions.

Gisborne-Wairoa, via Morere.—Open to heavy vehicles. Gisborne-Wairoa, via Tiniroto. Open to heavy vehicles.

Flood Waters on the Flats

From Muriwai to Manutuke the flood waters are still in evidence. Only the higher parts of these flats lying between the main road and the coast are not covered with water. The remainder has the water lying from a few inches to 2ft over the silt-covered pastures. The ground is apparently thoroughly saturated so that the surface waters cannot get away.