ACRES SLIDE INTO SEA

Taranaki Daily News, 17 February 1931, Page 9

ACRES SLIDE INTO SEA

’QUAKE HAVOC AT MOHAKA

HILLS SPLIT AND HANG IN AIR.

ROAD DROPS OVER TWENTY FEET.

SLIP COMPLETELY BLOCKS RIVER.

Bj Telegraph.—Press Association,

Wairoa, Feb. 16.

After a visit to Mohaka yesterday the Press Association agent is convinced that that district must have been very close to the earthquake centre, for both on last Friday afternoon and on the previous Tuesday week the settlers state loud booming was heard, like the firing of huge guns. All along the coast great landslides occurred, the base of one carrying away several hundreds of acres well out to sea. The hills in all directions are cracked along the ridges, great faces disappearing into the valleys below. Mohaka Gorge suffered particularly severely in this respect. Since last Friday’s big shake no water has reached Mohaka township owing to a tremendous slip near Willow Flat completely blocking the river, which is partly dried up, and is like a lagoon at the township. Should heavy rain occur the lower part is likely to be a grave danger. An eye-witness states that the hills near the coast split and seemed to hang in the air. and then were hurlod z out to sea. The land along the coastline was badly cracked and is likely to slide into the sea when rain comes. A numbej’ of railway and road fillings have “pancaked,” but the damage is Hot as great as was previously feared. The wet weather will, however, cause many portions to disappear. The wrost part of the road from Wairoa to the Mohaka bridge is at Turiroa, where it has dropped 20 to 30 feet. The present track is likely to go at any time.

Many homesteads will have to be rebuilt between Wairoa and Mohaka, and the country will be difficult for farmers mustering stock.