TOUGH ROAD
Cut-off Golden Bay residents bring in supplies on foot
Members of the Rainbow Valley Community in Golden Bay have been clambering over slips on foot since their access road was wrecked in the August rains.
The community is at the end of McCallum Rd which was badly damaged by the four-day storm that hammered the Nelson-Tasman region.
Annalee Anderson, who works 11km away in Tākaka, said it took about an hour to walk from the community houses to the other side of the damage, making the journey to work a long commute.
‘‘I am having to go in and stay in town for a few days at a time,’’ Anderson said. ‘‘It is too difficult to walk each day.’’
While Anderson had a place to stay on the other side of the damage in the short term and could still work, other residents were not so fortunate. ‘‘My partner has his work van stuck here so can’t work until the road opens again,’’ she said.
Anderson supplied some photographs of the damage but said they did not capture ‘‘how bad it is’’. ‘‘These slips are huge,’’ she said. ‘‘The whole hillside has moved.’’
Beth Jenkin, who also supplied some photographs, said there were two slips and two areas where the road was ‘‘falling into the [Anatoki] river’’. ‘‘Looks like we will be stuck here for a while longer.’’
Long-time resident Robyn Holloway said about 20 people were living in the community, which was founded in 1974.
The damage happened on the Thursday and Friday of the storm.
On the Sunday, residents used chainsaws and shovels to carve walking tracks through the damaged areas.
‘‘We can get out but it is not easy,’’ Holloway said. ‘‘Most of us are in our 70s.
‘‘We are clambering over the debris, it is a mission ... you could easily slip.’’
Holloway said she made the trip with a pack strapped to her back and using walking sticks. A wheelbarrow helped to transport supplies. She was not keen to repeat the experience and hoped the road would be repaired before she had to head out again. Some neighbours had mobility issues and could not get out, Holloway said, adding there had been two supply drops by helicopter. ‘‘Food-wise, we are OK.’’ Anderson said she had been at the community for five years and while there had been some small slips during that time, ‘‘they have been cleared within a day or two’’. ‘‘Most people are quite resilient and have been here a long time,’’ she said.
‘‘People are pulling together and looking after each other with getting supplies and sharing the loads. The other community here is Happy Sam’s and both places have come together to support each other,’’ Anderson said.
Tasman District Council transportation manager Jamie McPherson last week said McCallum Rd suffered from some ‘‘serious land instability’’. Initially, there were even concerns about getting machinery in to start the repair work. However, the latest geotechnical advice paved the way for a contractor to begin repairing the road.
On Friday afternoon, the council said pedestrian access would be restricted during the repair work. ‘‘Access will be allowed for a 10-minute window at 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm and 4pm. We are expecting the work to take approximately three weeks, weather permitting.’’