The huge slip on Helena Bay hill is still moving and continues to pose a danger, according to the Whangārei District Council’s head of roading.
The slip of more than 100,000cu m came down on to Russell Rd after heavy rain on January 21, the second storm in less than a week.
It leaves the communities of Helena Bay, Teal Bay, Mōkau, Ōakura and Whangaruru effectively severed from Whangārei for months, as the alternate route through Kaiikanui Rd is long, unsealed and very narrow.
Jim Sephton, council general manager of transport and community infrastructure, said people needed to stay away from the site.
“We have a big slip and we’re really lucky that no one’s died. That blessing has to carry on – now the big concern is that we will have people on that slip and it moves.
“It’s already moved significantly since Thursday,” he told local residents at a hui at Mōkau Marae on Wednesday night.
“We’re bringing in experience from the Brynderwyns to get the material removed as quickly and safely as possible. It’s about 100,000cu m which will take about three months.”
Sephton said the council needed the support of the local community.
As well as staying away from the slip, the council wanted cultural input from locals about what the slip material might contain.
It was also looking for appropriate sites to take clean fill, but these had to be away from the floodplains and wetlands, Sephton said.
The council understood the fragility of Kaiikanui Rd as an alternate route and was open to suggestions about how it could be better managed, he said.
Other, smaller slips in the area – which reduced roads to one lane – would all be cleared before Waitangi Weekend, Sephton said.
The council is encouraging visitors to access the area through the car ferry at Ōpua.
In 2007, a large slip on Helena Bay hill closed the road for four months.
That was an underslip, where the road fell away to the valley below, and it held up well in the storms this year, Whangārei Mayor Ken Couper said.
The council’s sewage system at Ōakura was also impacted by the storm, including wastewater pumping stations damaged by slips.
The damage, combined with power cuts on January 18, meant raw sewage spilt into the sea.
Simon Charles, council acting general manager of waters, told residents that generators were rushed to the wastewater treatment plant to minimise the impact on the environment and public health.
A warning against swimming in the area has now been lifted but a warning against gathering shellfish remains until February 15.
Charles said while there was still a lot of work to do to repair the damaged pump stations, the aim was to build them back more resilient than they were before.
Helena Bay Gallery ‘still open’, owner says
Meanwhile, two local businesses have been heavily impacted by the slip on Helena Bay hill, despite not being cut off.
Helena Bay Gallery and Cafe had seen a huge fall in customer numbers, due to people mistakenly believing the road was closed to the businesses, said gallery owner Peter Brown.
The slip on Russell Rd was past the gallery and cafe, making them still accessible to Whangārei, he said.
During Northland and Auckland Anniversary Weekend, about 300 customers were expected but just 25 turned up, Brown said.
He hoped better signage would explain the road was closed past the gallery and not before it, and he encouraged local residents to continue visiting.
The gallery and cafe closed last winter but Brown thought they might stay open this year, depending on how business goes.
Denise Piper is a news reporter for the Northern Advocate, focusing on health and business. She has more than 20 years in journalism and is passionate about covering stories that make a difference.