Waikato floods: Highway bridge collapses, ute plunges into gap north of Ōtorohanga

“The water was going right over it [last night] … 1771031113 you can see the whole deck of the bridge has slumped, and the abutments on the other side have gone too – it’s toast.”

He went to the scene last night after a friend travelling from Te Awamutu saw a farm bridge “floating down the river”.

Bridge 520 on State Highway 39 south of Mangati Rd, near Puketotara, suffered a partial washout amid flooding in parts of Waikato last night. Photo / Wayne FeisstA ute pictured after crashing into the gap left by a washout of Bridge 520 on State Highway 39, near Puketotara. Photo / Wayne Feisst

The farm bridge had “wedged up” on the side of the highway bridge, Feisst said.

Floodwaters were flowing over Bridge 520 on State Highway 39, near Puketotara, on Friday night and it has been badly damaged, resident Wayne Feisst says. Photo / Wayne Feisst

“That’s blocked over half the bridge and that’s what’s caused the water to go around the end and wash out the abutments. [Last night] the water was completely across the road and it was obvious from the currents that it was washing the abutments of the bridge out.

“We got hold of the council but they were absolutely flat tack with slips obviously everywhere.”

A view of damaged Bridge 520 on State Highway 39. Photo / Wayne Feisst

He got a “hang of a shock” to see the ute crashed into the washout when he returned at first light.

“There was fortunately nobody inside … [later] there was a guy there and it was his mate that had driven off. [He said] he wasn’t hurt, just a bit heartbroken because it looked like it was a fairly brand new Ford Ranger.”

The heavy rain began about 1.30pm Friday and “just carried on and on and on”, Feisst said.

There was serious flooding in parts of Ōtorohanga and surrounding districts on Friday night. Photo / Wayne Feisst

The gauge on the dairy farm where he lived recorded “250-300mm of rain in eight hours”, and there was lots of thunder and lightning with it, he said.

“It was the sort of rain that you can hear it pounding on the roof … we’d have a gap for five minutes and then it’d come straight back again.”

Farm worker Jano was among those beginning the clean-up after deadly flooding in parts of Waikato overnight. Photo / Wayne Feisst

He’d escaped flooding but had seen a hazelnut farm crop “decimated” and a maize crop and silage almost ready for cutting that had been “totally wiped out”.

It’ll be a busy day for roading contractors, with slips such as this one in the Puketotara area likely. Photo / Wayne Feisst

About half an olive orchard was also gone, Feisst said.