Six major slips across different locations have resulted in road closures and home evacuations in Wellington.
The Terrace remains closed between Ghuznee and Buller Street after a steep bank collapsed yesterday. Photo: RNZ / Charlotte Cook
All but two households can now return to their homes in a part of central Wellington where a large slip yesterday swept away a bank.
One of the affected homes. Photo: RNZ / Kirsty Frame
More than 25 residents living in eight homes on The Terrace were evacuated because of concerns that more of the slip or a large tree could come down.
Following engineering and building assessments today, some residents have been told they can return.
The slip will start to be cleared tomorrow, and engineers will reassess stability once most of the debris has been removed.
The properties were evacuated yesterday after part of a steep bank collapsed onto a short stretch of The Terrace at the southern end, covering the road and rupturing two gas lines.
Residents were put up in a hotel on Willis Street overnight.
Geotech engineers have been assessing the site of a major slip in central Wellington today but chief infrastructure officer Siobhan Proctor said the risk had to be thoroughly assessed.
Several more slips were reported overnight including in Horokiwi between Ngauranga and Petone, where a slip cut off the suburb from the rest of the city for a time. Horokiwi Road has reopened to traffic but is down to one lane.
Other slips were reported in Aro Valley, Wadestown and Wilton, and with flooding in Karaka Bay and Seatoun.
The Seatoun Tunnel will remain closed overnight due to the risk of a tree falling on to the road, police said.
Contractors are expected to begin work tomorrow to fix the problem.
Motorists were asked to use other routes.
Wellington City Council transport and infrastructure manager Brad Singh said in certain areas trees fell on power lines and cut power to houses.
"At last count, we have got about six major slips across the city at different locations. Some are bigger than others and I think the Horokiwi one and The Terrace one are probably the two biggest," Singh said.
He said while the clean-up was a decent-sized job it was nothing out of the ordinary.
Horokiwi Road in Wellington was open to traffic, but down to one lane. Photo: Richard MacLean/ Wellington City Council
The Terrace was still closed between Ghuznee and Buller Street.
