Experts may help gauge Stewart Island damage

Experts could be called in to help assess what to do about the damage caused by landslips on Stewart Island.

Extremely heavy rain and strong winds buffeted the island this week, causing landslips and flooding.

Some of the landslips were up to 30m wide and left some residents in the worst-affected areas without access to their homes.

Two Southland District Council roading engineers travelled to the island yesterday to assess the damage, which was expected to cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Southland District Council roading assets manager Russell Hawkes said while the final repair bill would not be known for some time, it would be an expensive job.

"We will probably have to get some sort of expert advice," he said.

A debrief would be held at the council today to work through issues such as road stability and priority of repairs, he said.

It was likely the repair work would take considerable time because of difficulties with transporting machinery and staff to the island but those areas that had been cut off by the slips would be looked at first, he said.

"We will be prioritising the repairs, most certainly," he said.

- © Fairfax NZ News