Last week, heavy rain also brought down slips onto roads north of Coromandel. Photo: Georgia Smyth
The main road that leads from Thames to Coromandel has been shut due to an unstable cliff.
In a statement just before midday on Thursday, police said Thames Coast Road, Windy Point was closed just north of Thames because the weather conditions meant a cliff was likely to collapse.
"Police advise people to stay off the roads, if possible, as the only diversion is State Highway 25A Kopu - Hikua which could be obstructed by current weather conditions."
Thames-Coromandel District Council had three diggers clearing the debris from slips.
MetService had placed a heavy rain warning for the Waikato region, which ended 1pm.
The region was forecast to receive about 50mm to 60mm of rain as Cyclone Hale lies east of the North Island and an associated trough hits the central North Island.
Thames-Coromandel mayor Len Salt said the region was saturated and feared more slips might occur in the coming days.
The region had already received 800mm of rain in 11 days, an amount that would usually take until May to accrue, Salt said.
The remains of Cyclone Hale are heading away to the east of NZ and heavy rain affecting eastern regions has eased
— MetService (@MetService) January 11, 2023
However, an area of heavy rain is affecting the Waikato which is expected to ease this afternoon
ℹ Have a look at the rain radar at https://t.co/prKU7NLNY1 pic.twitter.com/fMKaTSvWcs
Plastics on beaches and whale uncovered
Cyclone Hale caused widespread erosion to North Island beaches, including at Waihi Surf Life Saving Club. Photo: Supplied / Waihi Surf Life Saving
The cyclone caused widespread erosion to North Island beaches, and many microplastics and rubbish churned up on a Coromandel beach, leaving locals to sift through the debris.
Eastern region Surf Lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said the Waihi club was working with local sustainability groups to clean up the plastic as soon as possible.
The community was also pitching in with shovels and gloves, Gibbons-Campbell said.
Microplastics visible at Waihi beach after Cyclone Hale battered the North Island. Photo: Supplied / Waihi Surf Life Saving
"You get fish eating the beads of plastic, so we want to get that cleaned up as quickly as we can," he said.
"It's a matter of getting out there with your sieve and trying to take as much of it away as you can."
Heavy swells brought on by Cyclone Hale have also exposed the remains of a buried whale in the Coromandel.
Department of Conservation Coromandel operations manager Nick Kelly said staff inspected the whale burial site at Wharekaho yesterday, alongside Ngāti Hei representatives.
At this stage, it was too dangerous to rebury the whale but they would do so once conditions settled, Kelly said.
Local iwi members will be monitoring the site.
Meanwhile, 4m of bank at Mercury Bay was scoured away, leaving the historic Whitianga Boating Club vulnerable.
Club commodore Jonathan Kline said they might be forced to move the building twice to ensure its future.
Whitianga Beach accessibility platform washed away
A wheelchair access platform was washed away by Cyclone Hale at Whitianga Beach. Photo: Supplied / Toes in the Water
People living with disabilities are temporarily cut off from a prime spot on Whitianga Beach after the accessible beach platform was washed away.
However, the matting was salvaged and will be reinstalled when the weather settles.
All Toes in the Water treasurer Donna Lowrie said a clean-up would be needed before they were back to business as usual.
"Luckily, some people rescued it before high tide, but there is no way it can go back until the walkway is cleared, because it's like a cliff now."
The pins which secure the platform were lost in the swells.
