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\nA slip on Plummers Point Rd in Te Puna. Photo \/ Claire Rogers<\/p>\n
An unstable slip on Plummers Point Rd in Te Puna has significantly worsened since Cyclone Vaianu.<\/p>\n
Long\u2011time resident Alan Whelan, who has lived across the road for 22 years, said the first slip came down during the heavy downpour on March 27.<\/p>\n
On that day, according to MetService, Tauranga recorded more than 107mm of rain in just 24 hours.<\/p>\n
Since then, Whelan said, repeated bouts of rain – including the recent cyclone – have caused the slip to move even more.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got little kids going down there. There\u2019s not even anything across it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey tried to stop it, they put waratahs across there, but they\u2019re not stopping anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n
When he visited the site on Monday morning, he found debris scattered across the road and tree ferns still standing upright in the middle of the tar seal.<\/p>\n
He said the damage had clearly worsened since the cyclone.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt came down again on the night of the cyclone. It\u2019s come down even worse.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said another slip has now formed beside it.<\/p>\n
Despite the instability, people continue to walk into the area to fish, and cars are still driving through, Whelan said.<\/p>\n
The park steps have already been destroyed, and Whelan believes the saturated marine clay beneath the bank remains unstable.<\/p>\n
He has contacted the council but feels the issue isn\u2019t being taken seriously.<\/p>\n
Western Bay of Plenty District Council reserves and facilities manager Peter Watson said the area was cordoned off with cones and tape after the initial slip on Friday, March 27.<\/p>\n
\nA slip on Plummers Point Rd in Te Puna. Photo \/ Claire Rogers<\/p>\n
A geotechnical engineer assessed the site at the time and determined there was no risk to personal property.<\/p>\n
However, Watson said the slip itself remains unsafe, and access to the area was still closed.<\/p>\n
He said people have been breaching the barriers.<\/p>\n
Nothing that a more robust water\u2011filled barrier would now be installed to prevent this, he said.<\/p>\n
Before the slip, a boat had been illegally dumped at the site.<\/p>\n
Watson said they have identified those responsible, and the vessel will be removed once it is safe to do so.<\/p>\n
He said clean\u2011up and remediation of the slip would be carried out as resources allow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis work will be prioritised alongside other slips across the district.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zoe Blake is a multimedia journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. <\/p>\n
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