Torrential rain undermines track

RICHARD WOODD

High and now dry: This 12 metre section of railway track was left suspended at Te Wera when rain gushing off the hills found culverts blocked and dug its own channel underneath.

TUESDAY's torrential downpour in central Taranaki appears to have dropped most of its load out east at Kiore and Te Wera.

John Corlett, who lives in a woolshed at the foot of the Kiore Saddle, says his electronic rain gauge recorded 72mm in an hour and a half.

"The gauge overflowed and it's not supposed to do that. I've been here 10 years and I've never seen anything like it. Water was gushing down the hills like someone had turned on a fire hose," he said.

Further along Mohakau Rd the O'Briens recorded 52mm, but at Douglas only 2mm was measured at one farm while at Midhirst the roads remained dry.

A washout has left 12 metres of railway suspended, with a sagging track join right in the middle. Local resident John Ries said he thought a jigger had been across it yesterday.

- © Fairfax NZ News