“It’s been a significant effort to reach so many people who were trapped,” Cooney said.
“I want to acknowledge the efforts of local helicopter pilots, New Zealand Defence Force staff, local and regional councils, and Police Search and Rescue.
“It’s been a long operation, but we’re just thankful that everyone is safe – everyone we know about has been accounted for.”
Evacuated motorists were initially flown to a nearby campsite, before an NZDF NH90 helicopter ferried them on to evacuation centres at Matawai and Ōpōtiki.
“The recovery of the vehicles will take some time given the significant damage and number of slips through the gorge, but the main thing is nobody was hurt,” Cooney said.
Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said everyone had now been safely evacuated, praising the overnight response.
“We know that everyone has been safely evacuated, and it was great co-ordination by the Bay of Plenty, police and NZTA – they worked last night to evacuate everyone by helicopter,” Stoltz said.
State Highway 2, Matawai to Waioeka, and Waioeka Gorge were closed because of flooding and slips just after 8am today. Photo / NZTA
She said NZTA would reassess damage to the gorge on Monday morning after aerial inspections.
“There is extensive damage to the gorge, and we will co-ordinate with them on Monday to see how we move forward.”
SH2 closed all weekend
The Waioeka Gorge was closed to motorists yesterday and NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi said it will remain closed over the weekend.
State Highway 2, through the Waioeka Gorge, is closed this weekend because of a slip. Image / Google Maps
“Crews are on-site clearing debris,” NZTA said. “Use the detours provided or consider delaying your journey.”
An update on the closure is expected on Monday. Motorists are advised to check NZTA’s Journey Planner for the latest road conditions.
RNZAF NH90 crew describe race against deteriorating weather
As weather worsened in Waioeka Gorge, a RNZAF NH90 helicopter conducted a late-night mission to rescue stranded motorists.
Flight Lieutenant George Bellamy, NH90 captain, said the helicopter and crew from No. 3 Squadron helped rescue 35 people after flooding and slips between Ōpōtiki and Matawai.
In a Police-led operation, the NH90 transported stranded motorists from Manganuku Campsite to welfare centres at Ōpōtiki Airfield and Matawai township.
“The police staff on the ground coordinating the rescue streamlined the extraction process,” Bellamy said.
“We knew exactly where we needed to be and where to go.”
Bellamy said weather conditions changed rapidly during the mission.
“When we arrived the weather was fine, but that quickly changed. We managed to complete all the rescues just as the weather began to deteriorate, meaning we likely couldn’t have done much more,” he said.
“Without the coordination skills of those on the ground, there very well could have been unprepared people left out overnight.”
The late-night operation began just before 9pm, with the NH90 crew returning to RNZAF Base Ohakea shortly before 2am.
Electrical storm and widespread lightning
An intense electrical storm swept through the gorge before the slips, as severe thunderstorms rolled across the North Island early Friday morning.
MetService said almost 18,000 lightning strikes were recorded between noon Thursday and 7am Friday across Northland, Waikato, Taranaki, Manawatū and surrounding waters, with Waikato and Taranaki recording the highest numbers.
MetService had warned the thunderstorms could bring torrential rain and flash flooding.
The wild weather follows severe conditions on Thursday, when tornadoes ripped across parts of the North Island, damaging buildings and bringing down trees and fences.