A Tauranga homeowner was “shocked” when he got an early morning visit from his neighbour saying his retaining wall was on their roof.
Philip Raath, who lives in Greerton, said his neighbour knocked on his door about 1am on Thursday, and told him some of Rath’s retaining wall had landed on the neighbour’s roof below.
Rath said he had heard noises in the night, but was unaware that a large portion of his retaining wall had washed away until the neighbour knocked on his door.
“The weather was atrocious, with non-stop rain. And the wind was so fierce, a 4m beech tree near my shed nearly blew right over.“
In the 12 hours until 6am on Thursday, Tauranga recorded 198mm of rain.
MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said that was equivalent to two and a half months’ worth of rain.
From 9am Wednesday to 9am Thursday, the city was hit with 274mm.
“It was the wettest day on record since records started in 1910.”
Tauranga’s average rainfall for January was around 79mm.
Raath said he had lived at the house since 2011 and had never experienced weather like that before.
“There was just too much water, and it washed away all the topsoil and a lot of metal, and with all the water constantly coming down, the retaining wall gave way, and some of it landed on the roof below.“
Raath said part of his 16m by 17m retaining wall, which cost about $4000 to $5000 a year ago, damaged some fascia boards on his neighbour’s roof.
“My neighbour was really good about it, but it meant they had to sleep elsewhere overnight, and the area has been cordoned off.“
Raath said because of how close his tool shed was to the damaged retaining wall, it was “yellow-stickered”.
He said his insurer was yet to assess the damage, but yesterday seven Tauranga City Council staff, including geotechnical team members and engineers, checked the damage, and they cordoned off access to the area, he said.
Raath said he appreciated his retaining wall washing away was minor compared with the far more serious slips that had happened around the district.
Another Tauranga resident has reported a slip in the Bethlehem area.
A photo taken yesterday from Carmichael Reserve Playground shows the slip in Bethlehem.
The woman, who did not want to be named, said the slip was visible at the Carmichael Reserve Playground and Millers Rd.
She said she could see machinery moving dirt in the area.
Tauranga City Council emergency management duty controller Gareth Wallis said council has completed a number of Rapid Building Assessments across the city, primarily focusing on buildings affected by landslips.
He said the assessments were ongoing.
The assessed locations were across Tauranga, including Welcome Bay, Gate Pā, Bethlehem, and Ōtūmoetai.
“To date, three yellow placards have been issued under the Civil Defence Emergency Management Act, with the potential for further placards as current assessments are finalised.”
Two were in Gate Pa, one in Bellevue and one in Otumoetai.
A yellow placard (or sticker) issued under Building Emergency Management indicates that a building has sustained moderate damage, or is subject to risks from external factors, resulting in restricted access.
Wallis said these buildings were considered potentially dangerous and can’t be fully occupied.
He said access may be limited to specific areas of the building or permitted for short-term entry only.
No red stickers have been issued to date.
Meanwhile, Pāpāmoa Hills Regional Park was closed following multiple landslips
Pāpāmoa Hills Cultural Heritage Regional Park is closed to the public until further notice following multiple landslips caused by recent severe weather.
One of the slips on Pāpāmoa Hills. Photo / Bay of Plenty Regiona Council
More than a dozen slips have occurred across the park, blocking vehicle and pedestrian access and damaging walking tracks and park infrastructure, a statement from Bay of Plenty Regional Council said.
“The slips remain active, and there is an ongoing risk to public safety.
“Staff and specialist contractors are on-site assessing the damage, including geotechnical assessments of high-risk areas. Due to the extent of the damage and ongoing instability, the park will remain closed while safety assessments are completed.”
Another slip on Pāpāmoa Hills. Photo / Bay of Plenty Regional Council
Council said signage was in place and additional access controls would be installed as required to prevent public access.
The adjoining Summerhill Recreation Farm was also closed until further notice.
The public was asked to stay away from the park and not attempt to access closed areas.
Photo / Bay of Plenty Regional Council