“A local farmer got stuck in with his tractor, carved a track through slips and released the cars,” he said.
He understood they were heading back to Taihape.
“They’re safe, they’re out and by the time the helicopter got there, there was no one to be found.”
Watson previously said he understood it was a local farmer who raised the alarm, calling emergency services to report what he could see.
It had been very hard to get information, he said.
It appears the cars took a back route after State Highway 1 was closed.
“They’ve found flood water that was too deep to drive through then slip has come down behind them and effectively blocked their path,” he said.
Michael McCartney, Manawatū-Whanganui group controller and Horizons Regional Council chief executive, told Checkpoint an airforce helicopter was prepared to rescue the group, understood to be stuck near a rising river.
He said power cuts caused problems with the mobile phone network and the location had poor coverage.
McCartney said a motorist managed to call for help after accessing a single bar of coverage.
A satellite phone would have made a big difference, he said.
The council would open floodgates for 24 hours on the Manawatu River system this evening.
McCartney said some water treatment plants had lost power and were relying on generators.
Residents in the wider district have told RNZ there are trees blocking many roads, with people not able to get to work.
SH1 has been closed around Taihape.
Watson said some of the roads the cars took would normally only see “half a dozen” vehicles a day, he said.
Rangitikei District Council said contractors were working to clear debris, and it was working with Civil Defence on a response to the situation.
Police said they were notified at 12.30pm.
Establishing communication the priority
Manawatū-Whanganui Civil Defence said its first priority was to establish communication with those who were trapped.
SH1 was closed between Hunterville and Waiouru and people should not use Turakina Valley Road as a detour, it said.
Many other local roads were also closed.
People should avoid non-essential travel as the roads were treacherous from fallen trees and the possibility for landslides.
Winiata Marae opens to stranded travellers
About 80 people are sheltering at Winiata Marae, in Taihape.
The marae’s chairman Jordan Winiata said they were travellers who had become stranded.
“They’re stranded because of what’s happening on the highways, we’ve got some InterCity buses, just multiple travellers that would have been going from A to B, that unfortunately have been caught in between the roads being open and closed.”
He said the marae was preparing to host those stranded overnight and had capacity for 300.
Winiata said the power was out at the marae, but it had a generator, running water and gas for cooking.
– RNZ