Mount Maunganui tragedy: Campground evacuated and safety barrier moved in by council in 2003 for rockfall works
Tauranga council officials previously evacuated the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park and neighbouring hot pools to keep the public safe from falling rocks.
And they placed 47 large shipping containers around the back of the campground and pools as a barrier to stop fast-moving debris hitting the campsite from high above, during the pre-emptive safety operation.
Since last Thursday’s Mauao landslide tragedy, questions have been asked about Tauranga City Council’s (TCC) decision not to evacuate the holiday park, given the heavy rain and conditions.
Six people – Susan Doreen Knowles and Jacqualine Suzanne Wheeler, both 71, Lisa Maclennan, 50, Mans Bernhardsson, 20, and 15-year-olds Sharon Maccanico and Max Furse-Kee – were buried under a large landslide that came down on a part of the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park about 9.30am last Thursday.
The area had been hit by 274mm of rain in a 24-hour period.
In the hours leading up to the disaster, the council did not issue an order to evacuate the campgrounds or hot pools despite ordering the closure of walking tracks around Mauao because of smaller slips it was aware of.
It also had a report from 2014 saying the area was prone to “mass movement” slips after heavy rain.
In contrast, the risk of falling debris in 2003 saw council officials evacuate and close the campground, hot pools and surf club while they worked to remove unstable rock near the summit.
The campground was closed for a week for the safety works.
The operation involved 20kg of explosives being placed around an area of 85cu m of rock – about the length of a car and trailer – so they could be removed.
The 200mm-long explosive sticks were placed in holes drilled by a team of abseiling geotechnical engineers.
Upon detonation, about 500 tonnes of rhyolite – the rock Mauao is made of, which is known to weaken under heavy rainfall – collapsed.
Debris from the explosion rapidly plunged about 230m down into the campsite below.
Reporting by the Herald at the time said: “The greatest impact was from a hefty boulder which crashed into one of the 47 shipping containers protecting the camping ground, hot pools and surf club below.
“In all, five large fragments tumbled through thick vegetation nearly 230m down into the evacuated camp at the base of the Mount, but most of the debris came to rest harmlessly on the grassy slope above.
“The damage was minimal, engineering geologist Neil McHugh said later.”
The hot pools were reopened two days after the November 13, 2003, action. The Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park was reopened the following week after a clean-up operation that included the removal of the safety barrier made from shipping containers.
Before the 2003 explosion, the Herald reported how council “emphasise that public safety and the wellbeing of the operations team are paramount and no risk will be allowed while the $100,000 logistical exercise to remove the hazard takes place over the next six days”.
Next steps as community grieves those lost
WorkSafe confirmed earlier this week it was in the early stages of looking into the “organisations that had a duty of care for everyone at the holiday park, and whether or not they were meeting their health and safety responsibilities”.
Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale has announced TCC will initiate a fully independent review of the landslip.
On Tuesday he said “all relevant matters relating to the lead-up to this tragic event will be considered as part of the independent review we are currently initiating”.
“This will be reported back to the community as quickly as possible.
“The detailed scope, time frames and personnel involved in this independent review process are currently being worked through and will be communicated publicly as soon as finalised.”
Yesterday, he confirmed there were TCC officials onsite at the campground when the devastating landslide occurred.
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon – who has met with first responders, search crews and family of the victims – has also stated he could see a “strong case” for a Government review into the tragedy being launched.
The potential for three reviews comes as emergency services and specialist search crews continue the job of trying to retrieve human remains from the debris that came down on the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.
Bay of Plenty district commander Superintendent Tim Anderson has detailed how new geotechnical equipment had been flown from Wellington to Tauranga.
It added to the now four-level safety measures protecting staff working on the site.
Anderson said the added protections and the sophistication of the equipment would hopefully lead to less disruption, confirming he was assured of his staff’s safety.
“We’re hoping now with that [technology], combined with some better weather, we won’t have to stop working again, fingers crossed.
“That’s not to say we won’t do that because whilst we’re stabilised now, it doesn’t mean it’s safe.”
Anderson had also refrained from estimating how long the search would take.
Asked if it would be days and not weeks, Anderson said: “I don’t want to be committed to a time frame now, other than to say, obviously we’re working through a methodical process.
“Obviously we’re working on behalf of the coroner, there’s still at least many days of work ahead of us, I can say that, and that could extend to weeks, but we’re on day four now, so it’s a bit early to make that call.”
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 34 years of newsroom experience.
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