Prepare now for a long night of intense rain and strong wind
Published on 31 January 2023
A RED Heavy Rain Warning is in place for the Coromandel through to 3pm Wednesday.
The RED warning, which was issued yesterday by MetService, Waikato Regional Council, and Thames-Coromandel Civil Defence is in place because of heightened concerns around the possible impact of catchment saturation and land movement.
Watch the full MetService report in the video below.
Rainfall amounts between 100mm to 150mm, possible thunderstorms, with north-easterly winds increasing to gale force (75 to 100km/hr) during the night can be expected.
Many roads are currently closed or under traffic management. See a full list of road conditions below and at tcdc.govt.nz/roads
Civil Defence urge everyone to be somewhere safe by dark tonight, avoid travel unless it is necessary and be prepared for another rough night.
Wednesday morning is likely to see more road closures and surface flooding so check in for updates before venturing out.
If you need emergency help, or if there is a serious risk to life or property call 111 immediately.
We will have an update first thing tomorrow morning.
Stay safe everyone.
Road closures and conditions
State Highway – Waka Kotahi/NZTA
- SH25A Kopu Hikua - CLOSED until further notice www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz
Local Road Closures
- Kennedy Bay Road will be CLOSED – 7pm to 7am due to imminent risk of failure to a section of road 1km along Kennedy Bay Rd (emergency services only)
- Te Kouma Road – CLOSED due to a slip (past Kowhai Drive)
- Colville Road - CLOSED due to a slip between Oamaru and Amodeo Bay. Slip is still moving.
- Neavesville Road - CLOSED (Road is Impassable at the 4km mark)
- Tapu Coroglen Road is CLOSED and impassable for the foreseeable future. Location is 10km from Tapu.
- The 309 Road – CLOSED (open to 1 lane for residence and emergency services)
- Linton and Weka Roads – CLOSED at intersection – repair underway today
Open to One Lane
- Tuateawa Road
- Port Charles Road
- Black Jack Road
- Waiotahi Road – Slip
- Waiomu Valley Road – Slip
- Victoria Street, Tararu – Slip
Restrictions in place
- Hot Water Beach Road – drop out with temporary speed of 30km and priority Give Way in place
- Kapowai Road - 100mm drop in road surface – traffic management installed and a detailed geo-inspection is underway
Facilities Closures
- Goldfields Mall in Thames will be closed from 7pm tonight, Tuesday 31 January, until Thursday 2 February to ensure staff safety. Right now, the Goldfields team are “sandbagging” several areas around the perimeter of the mall to prepare for the on-coming storm.
- Pak N’ Save will remain open normal hours.
- Tucks Bay Coastal Track is closed until a formal assessment of the track stability (and the area above) can be made. This is the track that runs around the waterfront from Long Bay Camp round to Tucks Bay. This is not the Kauri walk that track remains open.
Kerbside Collections – 1 February 2023
In consideration of the RED heavy rain warning issued for the Coromandel, and in view of the challenging road conditions, a decision has been made to cancel tomorrow’s scheduled kerbside collections for Whangamatā, Pauanui, Onemana and Opoutere, Coromandel Town & Te Kouma.
We sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused by this cancellation and appreciate your support in these unprecedented times. It has been a very challenging week for our communities and we understand the frustration some of you may be feeling regarding the cancellations of kerbside services this week.
At this stage, collections in Thames and Surrounds will continue as scheduled but this is still dependent on conditions tomorrow. Due to the dynamic nature of the situation, we’re facing, we will re-assess tomorrow morning and any changes to this will be communicated as soon as possible.
There will not be any catchup services for any materials not collected tomorrow. Please refer to our summer schedule for when the contractor is next due in your area www.tcdc.govt.nz/kerbside
Refuse Transfer Stations (RTS) – 1 February 2023
Our contractor will endeavour to open our Refuse Transfer Stations (RTS) sites tomorrow where it is possible to do so safely. tcdc.govt.nz/rts
Please keep an eye out on our Facebook page and our website for any further updates on kerbside and RTS services
Our next update will be tomorrow morning after 7am once we’ve had a chance to assess the impact to our district.