Hauraki residents scramble to hold back floods

A Hauraki family spent hours battling to keep water pouring down into their Hart Rd home from empty sections next door, only to find it was also seeping in from the other side, due to the sodden ground

Mother and son Lisa and Tim Kleiman rigged up some old spouting out to the road to try to divert water coming into their property. But it could not cope with the volume.

Instead, water coursed down their drive, into their garage and beyond to downstairs rooms. It also spilled over into a lower house next door, flooding a room there.

“I felt like we were losing the battle to keep the water out – we had been doing it for four or five hours,” said Lisa, while cleaning up on the Saturday morning after the 27 January flood.

Local residents had stopped by to help. “People were really nice.”

In Norman Rd, neighbours also helped an elderly couple with sandbags to try stop water pouring down a driveway into their home.

To assemble these quickly, plastic bags were used.

Further down the road, a family had help bringing out sodden household items after a stormwater overflow.

Other parts of Hauraki that were hit included properties on Northboro Rd, and Harley Rd.

Residents were left facing getting insurace advice and drying out sodden interiors.

“It’s a lot of things to deal with,” said Lisa Kleiman.

The family, who have owned their home for 20 years but spent 10 of those overseas, said they could not understand why infrastructure was not better planned in New Zealand.

After neighbouring homes were removed for development (which has yet to start) they contacted Auckland Council with concerns about water run-off.

They were told drainage obligations applied to the owner of the properties when development started.

“But that could be two or three years.”

Makeshift drainage... Lisa and Tim Kleiman, pictured with dog Tintin, used old guttering in an attempt to keep water out of their house. Right: Sand-filled bags provided a driveway barrier a few blocks away

Slip spotted at rear of Esmonde Rd site

Residents in Francis St were alarmed to see slipping to the rear of the controversial Amaia apartments development site on Esmonde Rd.

The environmentally sensitive coastal site has building consent for a seven-storey development of two buildings, but developers now want to extend site coverage with more buildings up to 16 storeys high.

The matter will go to a hearing at a date to be set. It has drawn 55 submissions, most against, with nearly half wanting to speak.

Coastline ravaged by water

Auckland Council is assessing the extent of damage to its facilities and any health and safety risks posed to the community.

By late last week, council had started initial clean-ups. In the coming weeks, it will do a full cost assessment and decide on what will be repaired and replaced.

In the meantime, all parks are open to the community, except for sports fields that still need assessment.

However some areas of parks, tracks and playspaces have been closed temporarily, for safety reasons.

A step too far… the Westwell steps on the Belmont coastline were destroyed in the slips caused by the heavy rain

Setting priorities

A Devonport bar offered some humour in the face of the floods

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