Kāpiti weathers second storm in little over a month

Kāpiti is drying out after the second extreme weather event in just over a month

Heavy rain on Friday and Saturday caused widespread flooding, particularly in the north of the district, causing slips, closing rural roads and, for a time, State Highway 1 at Manakau.

SH1 was closed when the Waikawa Stream Bridge, in the Horowhenua District, suffered extensive damage late on Friday night. The bridge is now open but subject to speed restrictions.

Mayor Ross Church says it was an outstanding effort by roading crews to get the bridge open so quickly and re-establish the link between Kapiti and the north.

The Mayor was out over the weekend surveying the worst of the damage in Ōtaki and Te Horo.

“Along with ward councillor Penny Gaylor, I visited the wash out at Ringawhati Bridge in Ōtaki and visited parts of Ōtaki and Te Horo where there was still evidence of surface flooding.”

The Mayor says, on the whole, he believes Kāpiti got off pretty lightly.

“I know that is little consolation to people directly affected but it seems the brunt of this storm was borne by Wanganui, Rangitikei and Taranaki districts where a state of emergency was declared. Our thoughts are with those districts as they begin the recovery process.”

Council staff and contractors were at work most of the weekend clearing slips, repairing roads and assessing damage. Some remaining repairs in the district include:

• Clearing a slip on the Ōtaki Gorge at Blue Bluff 
• Repairing the Ringawhati Bridge washout, which is expected to take up to 3 days 
• Permanently repairing the water main on the bridge that has been temporarily fixed 
• Assessing the best engineering solution to deal with a dropout on Waterfall Road. The road is passable but repairs could take up to three weeks.
• Inspecting and cleaning culverts and drains throughout the district and removing small slips on some rural roads
• Assessing tracks and sports grounds throughout the district.

Mayor Church paid tribute to Council staff, contractors and volunteers who worked over the weekend to get the district through the storm and its impacts.

“I am extremely proud of this community and of the people who selflessly give their time to help out in a crisis. Council’s call centre worked overnight on Friday, as did a number of staff at our Emergency Operations Centre. Out in the pelting rain field staff and contractors worked through the night and most of the weekend. I thank them all most sincerely.

"I hope now Mother Nature will treat us kindly for a while."