WAIOEKA BLOCKAGE

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 2, Issue 233, 4 November 1940, Page 8

WAIOEKA BLOCKAGE

GORGE ROAD FORD j ' MOTORISTS IN TROUBLE Recently the committee of the Gisborne agency of the Automobile Association (Auckland) discussed the lack of telephone facilities in the Waioeka Gorge by which warning might be given of flood conditions at any of the main creek fords. Incidents which occurred on Tuesday and Wednesday, during heavy rain which flushed all the streams of the high country, gave added point to the committee's views on the advisability of establishing some system of warning for through traffic. Caught in Mid Stream. On Tuesday afternoon motorists proceeding towards Gisborne from Opotiki noted that the Waioeka river was well above normal, and pushed on in the hope of getting through the gorge before the . fords became impassable. At McLeeley's creek, however, they were halted by swift-running water, which had broken down the retaining wall on the outer edge of the road, and had scoured a deep channel across the highway. One Auckland morotist who dove a powerful car into the stream, confident of getting through had the mortification of feeling his machine gripped by the current and swung round so that it could neither progress nor return. Within a few minutes the level of the water rose until the car was flooded to the window ledges, with substantial damage to its contents. Boulders as big as buckets were rattling down and across the ford, stated Mr E. W. Forrest, a Gisborne business man, who elected to stay on the Opotiki side of the blockade for the night, and who turned back to warn other motorists of the uselessness of going on.

Cars Hauled Through. Next day a cavalcade of motorists set out from Opotiki to try their luck at the broken ford, and they found Public Works Department men attending,to the trouble. The gang had hauled out the Auckland traveller's car the previous evening, in consequence of a message left by Mr Forrest, and on Wednesday-they were towing large cars across the ford with the aid of a heavy truck. Drivers of these cars were startled to hear heavy boulders rattlijig against the running gear of their cars, but few suffered any damage. Light cars in some cases were ferried over the ford on the deck of the lorry, and the public works gang was doing everything possible to keep traffic moving. Telephone Needed. It was not until well on in the day, hoAve-ver, that the congestion near the ford Avas relieved, and the loss of time, together AA'ith the extra mileage of the ears Avhich approached the ford during the Avorst of the flooding and then had to turn back, Avas considerable. Mr Forrest pointed out that if n telephone AA'ere installed at some point in the gorge, preferably at a cottage adjacent to the ford Avhich gave trouble, travellers could be saA r ed much inconvenience and exjiense. At present, the only means of notification of flood conditions Avas Avord-of-mouth communication from one motorist to another. A telephone installed at a central point Avould enable notification to be giA r en to bpth Mataw.ai- and Opotiki, Avhen the fords became impassable, and time and expense, Arould be saved. The ford at Avhich the trouble developed on Tuesday and Wednesday is 35 miles from Opotiki, and'many cars covered that distance three times instead of only once. ,