The Floods of
February 2004
In February 2004, the Manawatu, Rangitikei and
Wanganui regions were badly scarred by an immense amount of rain in a
very short period of time.
According to the Manawatu District Council Assets Group Manager, the
cost of the February storm was $20.6 million, while a further $4.3
million worth of damage resulted from other weather-related events
through the winter.
(
source Manawatu District Council web report )
These are just a few of the authors
photographs taken in the weeks that followed and the cleanup.
These images do not enlarge.
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Totora Reserve picnic area and camp ground,
upper Pohangina Valley -
from across the river. This was green grass and parkland. |
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Totora Reserve - detail of above picture.
Layers of silt, mud, debris and stones.
(note: flooded again in July 2007) |
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Pohangina Valley Road East at Komako.
Over one hundred fifty meters of hillside lying on the road. |
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Pohangina Valley East Road north
west of Umutoi.
Typical of rural land slips and scouring. |
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North Range Road on the western ridge of
the Pohangina Valley. Way too much water for one small culvert. |
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Couters Line near Kiwitea
Culvert and roadway gone and a long way down to the old crushed and washed out
pipe. |
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Clearing one of the slips on Tunipo Road, Umutoi.
Thick sticky mud, rocks and trees and little traction for loader.
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Bent Bridge, Totora Reserve. Too much
debris - too little free-space under the bridge, too much water. |
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Wasteland, North Range Road. Hundreds
of acres of farm land and grass just "slid off the hills". |
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Finnis Road,
in behind Pohangina Township.
One slip in a line of many huge ones in a row that blocked the road.
Many roads had the same thing. |
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Zig Zag Road -Macrocarpa Tree and slip
across the road. |
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Farm land under water near Fielding.
The River channel is usually behind tall pine trees in centre of
the photo. Up to 12
inches of silt was left behind on the land.
(photo THS) |
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Saddle Road Bridge at Ashhurst
Fails. Note
the truck and trailer parked near the right hand end - driver was rescued
by helicopter. (photo: unknown source) |
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Western end of the Saddle Road Bridge at
Ashhurst. Some bridge pieces have never been found. |
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Valley Road Bridge
Culverts scoured out near Raumai. |
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The Kiwitea / Kimbolton Road bridge at the north end of
Fielding. (photo: unknown source) |
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