A South Wairarapa road is slowly falling into the sea, with those dependent on it at risk of becoming completely isolated.
Known by locals as “the gluepot”, the road snakes along the top of a steep cliff, with the ocean on one side and towering pines above it on the other.
It is part of Te Awaiti Rd that runs along the shoreline north from the Awhea River mouth, in the Tora area of South Wairarapa. Apart from small sections, it is mostly gravel.
Narrow and winding, with large chunks of it already slumped towards the sea, it seems just a matter of time before it degrades completely – and if the road does go, a local farmer told Local Democracy Reporting that he and others will be completely cut off.
Dan Riddiford is the fifth-generation farmer at Te Awaiti station. He and neighbouring farms need the road to the south, which is their only access route. There is no road out of the area to the north.
“By repeated emails, I have asked the council for a site meeting with the decision makers and my neighbours,” Riddiford said – but the meeting has not happened.
A council roading manager said they are working on a fix to stabilise the landslide, now that the road is drying out.
However, Riddiford said the problems have been ongoing for three or four years.
His questions to the council include how to ensure the road is maintained to an acceptable standard, as it had been in the past, so trucks and trailers can freely get across.
“I’ve asked what their plan is to repair ‘the gluepot’ if it all collapses into the sea, and what their plan is for emergency four-wheel drive roading if it collapses into the sea. I don’t think they have one.”
Local trucking business Martinborough Transport is a firm that regularly sends large vehicles down the district’s roads to serve the farming community.
“We are not sending our biggest trucks out there [to ‘the gluepot],” company spokesperson Josh Hawkins said.
“Twelve months ago, a truck got stuck at ‘the glue pot’, and it took half a day to resolve.”
Hawkins noted it’s not the only road in South Wairarapa experiencing major problems – White Rock Rd, Tora Rd, Hinakura Rd, and Ushers Hill have all had issues at times.
“We have to have Ushers Hill checked before we go out there. That’s another one that’s continuing to slump,” he said.
“Cape Palliser Rd is always moving. Some of the roads, we have to do a scouting trip before we go.”
Hawkins said there appears to have been a lack of regular maintenance on some South Wairarapa roads.
South Wairarapa District Council [SWDC] roading manager Tim Langley said the council is working on a fix.
“The ‘gluepot’ on Te Awaiti Road is one of at least four active major landslips on South Wairarapa District Council Roads,” he said.
“Works over winter and early spring have kept the road open without compromising access.”
Options are being considered to stabilise the landslide now that the land is drying out and losing its fluid movement due to saturation, he said.
Council can now look at filling the low points and smoothing the alignment, without the extra weight of additional material causing more movements.
“Resident requests and concerns were addressed in the winter months, and we will update on future repairs.”
– NZLDR
Public Interest Journalism funded through NZOnAir
