Haumoana residents survive big seas

BY MARTY SHARPE AND DIANE JOYCE

High tide passed without incident on the Hawke's Bay coast early today, but a coastal protection group says something needs to be done quickly to protect houses from big sea swells at Haumoana Beach.

The swells forced the evacuation of 25 homes at the beach yesterday and have put local communities at increased risk if there are extra floods.

Walk on Water, a Hawke's Bay community group which lobbies Hawke's Bay Regional Council and the Hastings City Council for greater protection from beach erosion and large swells, said the council should build a series of groynes to stabilise the beaches.

The swells wiped out the natural build up of shingle which had previously protected homes from damage, Walk on Water spokesman Keith Newman said.

The massive waves - which ranged between three and six metres - had created a much "smoother beach" which meant waves would have direct access to the roadway should there be another storm, Mr Newman said.

Waves of about 6.5 metres at high tide crashed onto houses at Haumoana Beach on Sunday night. Early on Monday evening the swells were still heavy but waves had reduced to about two to three metres.

"If we got two more storms of this magnitude over winter this community will be at huge risk," said Mr Newman.

He said another flood could wipe out the lines which supply power all the way down the coast and Haumoana's shopping centre would also be at increased risk.

The group had so far been unsucessful in lobbying the coucil to put in a series of concrete groynes, which would stabilise beaches at Haumoana, 10km north east of Hastings, Te Awanga and Clifton and prevent erosion.

It claims a groyne on the coastal end of the Tukituki River - which runs through Haumaona - has already stopped erosion in that area and they want up to seven more.

"It's a matter of national importance now," he said.

So far local councils had been unwilling to support the project because of the cost, which they put at $18 million.

Walk on Water disputed the councils' estimates and said a groyne field could be put in for under $7m and maybe as low as $3.5m.

BIGGEST SURGES IN 12 YEARS

Sea-front residents woke to smashing windows and six-metre waves in the worst Hawke's Bay tidal surges in more than a decade.

But despite warnings to evacuate by police and Civil Defence, many residents refused to budge.

The waves, some as high as a house, smashed into the shore at Haumoana and Ocean Beach overnight on Sunday and again yesterday afternoon. Residents were again advised to stay away overnight with high tide expected to bring more damaging surges about 1pm today.

Chloe Edwards and her father, Kevin Ambler, dragged furniture stored in their sea-front garage to safety just before midnight on Sunday.

The concrete garage floor broke off an hour later and fell into the sea. As they grabbed boxes the sea came up through the floor, Mr Edwards said. "It was shocking." Their next-door neighbour's house was knee-deep in water, as the sea washed around the house and into the front door. Houses several doors down had windows broken by the force of the waves.

Mark Kennedy arrived home from hunting to find a living area of his bach knee-deep in water.

Having lived through monster waves several times in the past eight years, he waded through to a higher floor and went to bed. "What can you do ... this is what happens."

He surveyed his backyard yesterday. "Nice beach, nice view, it's just that it's getting closer and closer."

Police and Civil Defence personnel went door-to-door yesterday advising residents to evacuate.

Ten people at Haumoana and four at Ocean Beach fled their homes. However, most stayed, saying yesterday's waves were nothing compared to the previous night.

John Bridgeman, who has lived on the coast for 25 years, said they were the worst waves he had seen.

"Just in terms of size and frequency. She was pretty bad on Sunday night."

Twenty-one Haumoana houses remain at the most vulnerable piece of coastline, which has eroded away over decades.

Insurance companies now refuse to insure several houses because of the risk of inundation and erosion.

Mark Lawrence, who was convicted and fined $3000 for building a 3m-high seawall without a building consent, said his house and several others would have been washed away on Sunday night if the wall was not there.

"It's just a shame the council didn't let me finish it.

"If it was a bit higher, it would have kept all the gravel off our yard."

About 10km down the coast a new access road to a popular campground is precarious again – just months after the last one was washed away.

The new road to Clifton Motor Camp, near Cape Kidnappers, built in August was nearly destroyed, with 10m of land gone.

MetService forecaster Bob McDavitt said the swell was caused by an intense low pressure system near the Chatham Islands, but would gradually die down.

- with NZPA

- © Fairfax NZ News