THE QUAKE AREA.

Hokitika Guardian, 16 January 1930, Page 3

THE QUAKE AREA.

PRESENT CONDITIONS

A recent visitor to the Buller district writes of the present conditions in the earthquake visited area: —

KARAMEA. Karamea is still the quiet dairying district of yore, but there is a subtle difference—tilings have changed. A look around the terraces and at the distant mountains is sufficient. Mount Stormy is pitted and gouged as if witli a gigantic knife. The edges ol the near-by terraces have slipped away, leaving bare clay and rock in place of luxuriant bush. Ever chimney in the small township has been remodelled and the bright patch of new tin beside-' the shortened chimney shows on the roofs of the dwellings. Over near the Rotomahana and on the roads and farms huge cracks appear in the earth’s surface, and holes out of which'water has gushed are still to he seen. At Arapito a section of hill has literally galloped across a paddock and in the same district whole farms have been rendered useless by slips and sudden freshes of the river.

To add a finishing touch to an eventful year the river began to rise suddenly and brought with it thousands of tons of timber. The sqllen roar of the river, together with the dull bomn of huge logs striking the Karamea bridge, were unforgettable. The water over-ran the river’s hanks and silted up many farms, rendering them useless. . Much stock was lost owing to the rapid 1 rate at which the river rose.

For a whole day and through the night a continuous stream of timber of all shapes and sizes was carried down the river and piled up on the benches. $ Qn the day following the flood, an inspection was made of the beaches and it was found that from the

Little Wanganui to the Karamea River and then still further north, logs were piled up high and dry. Upstream the character of the river had undergone a remarkable change. Where there once had been gentle banks the river had cut a deep swathe in the land and made a new bed for itself. At Arapito a high bank had replaced a low one, and at Umere a perfect beach lmd been formed in the river. The backwater at Rotomahana had been practically filled in with mud from slips up the river.

KARAMEA GORGE. The Kara me a Gorge had undergone a, remarkable change, and where previ-j; otis to ..the big, ’quake beautiful bush had grown down to .the water’s edge, ' now steep-.rocky cliffs fringe the The dun-coloured water made the one- j time beautiful gorge a thing repellent to one who had .seen it in- all its beauty. The innumerable slips in the upper reaches of the river had kept the water a muddy hue since the day

of the big earthquake of June last year. Reconstruction in the district is going on apace and although the flood at the end of the past year rendered a considerable portion of it useless, the province is returning gradually to the prosperity of former years.

Once again owing to the failure of the local and only means of transport the writer was obliged to “shoulder the bh’i°y and strike out through the hills.’’ A car can be taken as far as the fi-s L camp, that is at the commencement of the track made through the hills to the banks of the Mokihinui River. This track is only a foot one and has been made to follow the route of the old road as much as possible through the bush. The change in the character of the country is stupendous and has to be seen to be appreciated. Once beautiful bushcovered hills are now slithering muddy slips.

.]•' places ..the road has been completely obliterated"as the result of tons up m tons of rock and sand slipping away. Some parts of the road have been hoisted up. in the air by the succeeding earthquake waves. Others have been dropped twenty to thirty feet below the former level. A.g'iin the whole side of a hill has been dumped in the bottom of a vallcv and a track has been out across the face of an otherwise impassable cliff.

CORE YVALK. At Corbwale there is only a man and his wife in occupation. The valley is full of stock that cannot be removed until the road is opened through. Here a welcome cup of tea is obtained and the time of day passed with the host and his wife. Corby vale is the c'litre of telephonic communication with Westport and Ivaramea, and only a few days previously had the ’phone line been opened only to breakdown. There are still a couple of “Lizzies” in Corbvvale and a quantity of spirit left since the ’ouake, so we had a welcome ride along the undamaged section of the road through the bottom of the valley. Then once more on the long tramp through the hills. Another two hours’ walk brought us to the Bluff. Coming through a number of minor slips, wo suddenly, on ‘roundi vie the shoulder of a hill, saw a mighty slip. This slip surpassed in size any previously seen on the journey through the hills. This place was well named. The Bluff—it was a bluff all right. One huge side of a hill seemed to have

been carved away and left a huge bare' cliff. Across tliis and a few feei from the top, a small foot track hail been cut by the roadmen. Blinding the eyes, the dazzling sun reflected off the ghastly whiteness of the cliff. Foothold in many places was pro carious and it seemed impossible tliai a human could make the grade when the slip was viewed from the other side of the hill.