Tararua mayor Tracey Collis stands in front of one of the many slips on River Road, now the only way to coastal community Ākitio. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Clean-up costs to fix the battered roads in the eastern Tararua District of the lower North Island could hit $100 million.
Seven weeks on from Cyclone Gabrielle, communities in the sparsely populated district are still facing long drives to work and school due to road closures, and roads that are open have to be negotiated with care.
Tararua District mayor Tracey Collis said it could cost between $75m and $100m to fix the roads, and she and residents were worried about further slips and washouts happening over winter.
Roading crews had worked hard since the cyclone to clean the district's tarmac and gravel road surfaces, and there were daily inspections.
Tararua has New Zealand's fourth largest local roading network of just under 2000 kilometres and a population of just under 20,000, so could not deal with the bill alone, Collis said.
Its network had already been damaged by storms last year.
A new track takes motorists along River Road in the Tararua District. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
Waka Kotahi / New Zealand Transport Agency already contributed $10m for the initial post-Gabrielle work.
Late last week RNZ joined Collis for a tour of the badly hit roads in the district east of Dannevirke.
Many were down to one lane in places and required slow speeds, and were better suited to four-wheel-drive vehicles.
Two properties in the district remained cut off, but others were affected by needing to detour.
"We've got 13 roads that are closed. We've got other roads that are four-by-four access only," Collis said.
Piles of mud and silt, cleaned off the tarmac, line the roads in Tararua District. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
One route completely out was Coast Road, linking the coastal settlement of Ākitio to inland Pongaroa.
Residents of Ākitio must now use the longer River Road, which was still showing signs of damage, and had a steep one-lane detour controlled by traffic lights around a slip.
The detour cut through private land the road was closed between 7pm and 7am, effectively forcing Ākitio residents to stay home during those hours.
Collis said people there referred to it as their curfew.
Some roads were also unsuitable for the truck and trailer units vital for the rural economy.
Collis said the effect of that was enormous.
And while the roads were badly affected, so much of the land was too - in the eastern Tararua District most hillsides were scarred by slips.
"We've been through a cyclone, but some of it looks like a war zone. It's hard to take when you know how beautiful this country was and I remember what it was like to drive through on a nice day," Collis said.
"My heart just goes out to the people that live here."
The beach at Ākitio is covered in logs and wood. Photo: RNZ / Jimmy Ellingham
A Waka Kotahi spokesperson said further requests on top of the initial $10m for emergency works funding for Tararua roads would be considered on a case-by-case basis.
"As far as the specific needs of the district's repair work is needed, that's been something for the local authority to assess and review, and Waka Kotahi works with them to determine the best use of the funding."
