Holiday in 'sunny Nelson' takes unexpected turn when land opposite starts to slip
Monday, 22 August 2022
Gary Fieldes’ holiday in “sunny Nelson” took an unexpected turn when the bank opposite the home he was staying in began to slip.
Fieldes and his wife, from Cambridge, are staying on Sunnybank Rise in Nelson’s Atawhai, house sitting for friends travelling in the United States.
When the land opposite the home began to move on Thursday afternoon just after 2pm, Fieldes grabbed his phone.
The slip, which started slowly, gained momentum, taking trees with it as it slid over a retaining wall and onto the street.
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“It was slow moving, we didn’t know when it was going to stop.”
Fieldes was too absorbed in filming to consider the danger aspect. “I was busy concentrating.”
His wife was, however, and grabbed his arm to get his attention, Fieldes said.
When geotechnical engineers turned up to the site, they walked “right into the slip and gave a tree a big shake and said, ‘that one’s going to go’.
“They didn’t tell us to get out, but inferred we should.”
The Fieldes took off for the night, returning the following morning to take stock.
“We were surprised to find it was OK the next day,” he said.
Along with the neighbours, Fieldes has been working to help clear the street.
“The first two days we couldn’t get any help, there were lots of us with shovels digging. I have never worked so hard on holiday.”
The house’s owners, the couple’s longtime friends, were “freaked out”, Fieldes said.
However, Fieldes was keeping him up to date with photos and videos. The couple planned to stay in “sunny Nelson” for the next month or so, he said.