More roads close as flooding washes out bridges in storm hit Wairarapa

Thursday, 13 July 2017

Ponatahi Bridge, outside Martinborough, has been closed by flooding.

As storm rains continue to lash Wairarapa, more bridges have been washed out and access routes closed.

The Waihenga Bridge on State Highway 53 west of Martinborough is the latest road to the South Wairarapa town to be washed out.

More than 60 millimetres of rain has fallen in Masterton since midnight, with the same expected before daylight on Friday.

Jones Place, in Masterton, has been completely flooded, forcing residents to leave.

Roads across the three districts have been swamped, including Jones Place in Masterton's east, which has been completely flooded. Water is also covering nearby Cockburn St.

Flooding at Martinborough Square, Wairarapa

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Part of the road has been washed out at Te Kopi, on Cape Palliser Rd, on the South Wairarapa coast.

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Flooding has hit the Bluff Rangitumau Rd outside Masterton.

The Waihenga Bridge over the Ruamahanga River, on State Highway 53 near Martinborough, is now closed due to flooding.

Both lanes of State Highway 2, between Masterton and Carterton near Wiltons Rd, have been flooded. There is a 30kmh limit in place through the area.

In Martinborough, a tree has fallen in the town square, which has also been hit by surface flooding. The Ponatahi Bridge, just outside the town, has been closed by the rapidly rising Huangarua River.

The Ponatahi Bridge, just outside Martinborough, was washed out by the rapidly-rising Huangarua River.

People can still get to Martinborough from SH2 via Kahutara Rd and Lake Ferry Rd, or from the north via Longbush Rd and Hinekura Rd.

In South Wairarapa, White Rock Rd has been closed at Tuturumuri.

In Carterton, there is surface flooding on the corner of Chester Rd, Longbush Rd and throughout Parkvale.

Kaiwhata Road in Te Wharau is closed and is likely to remain so until tomorrow, and Gladstone Road is closed due to a fallen tree.

Flooding is also affecting the Kokotau bridge, which is still passable.

The Alfredton-Tinui road has been closed at the Annedale and Alfredton end.

Earlier, power outages struck several parts of the region. Te Ore Ore, Castlepoint, Taueru and Blairlogie have been affected, as have homes off Paierau Rd in Masterton. Mt Bruce, Hinakura, Taumata Island, Martinborough, Gladstone, Tara and Ngahape also suffered from power issues.

The NZ Transport Agency will provide updates on its website when the access routes on Ponatahi Rd and the Waihenga Bridge on SH53 are reopened.

Police said they had been out to several calls, they had not needed to respond to any major incidents.

'There's lots of surface flooding, but it hasn't caused us any problems yet,' Senior Sergeant Mike Sutton, of Masterton, said.

'There isn't a lot of traffic around, which is good. We're monitoring what's taking place.'

Masterton woman Tania Gibbins, whose mother lives over the back of Jones Pl, said there was water throughout the town.

'There's surface flooding everywhere. 'I'm born and bred here, and this is the worst flooding I've seen.'