Stranded travellers find warm welcome in Warkworth

The Mahurangi community was quick to step up to help stranded travellers on the night of the big flood on January 27.

The state highway both north and south of the town was blocked by flooding and slips, and alternative routes such as State Highway 16 were also closed. This left hundreds of people with nowhere to stay or get a meal because by the time many arrived, supermarkets and other food outlets had closed.

The Warkworth Community Response Group were only alerted to the situation when group coordinator Sue Robertson happened to hear a caller on radio station 1ZB say her family was stuck at the BP in Warkworth.

Group chair Jim Flewitt says Robertson went to the Grange, while other members began the process of trying to open known evacuation centres such as Mahurangi College and the Warkworth Town Hall. Unfortunately, their calls all went to answer phones.

“We have a base under the Warkworth RSA, so we opened that up instead and directed people from the BP there,” he says. “I guess we took in about 50 people including passengers off a coach.”

Meanwhile, on his own initiative, Rodney Local Board member Ivan Wagstaff opened the Warkworth Town Hall, providing shelter for at least another 40 people overnight. The Mobil Service Station did its bit to help travellers and Educare at the Grange also offered people a place to sleep. As word spread through social media channels, the Warkworth Lions clubs and individuals started to respond by organising food and offering people beds, blankets and a place to shower.

The owner of Green Bay Fruit & Vegies at the Grange, Frank Lu, was among those who found themselves unable to travel to Auckland.

He returned to his shop, resigned to the fact that he would have to spend the night there. His shop door was open when a woman approached him and asked to use the toilet, because both McDonald’s and the BP station had closed.

What started as a trickle, soon became a flood of people through the doors and by morning it looked like a plaque of locusts had been through the shop. The shelves were almost bare.

Lu estimates that hundreds of people used the toilet and he also let people use his staff room to cook food.

“I was able to help people who really needed it. I was happy to help.”

Jim Flewitt says there are lessons to be learned and the East Rodney Community Group Cluster would meet on February 16 for a debrief.

“It was interesting that up until now, we have always thought we would be helping locals in a disaster. But on this occasion, it was a transit community. We hadn’t considered that scenario.

“We can see we need to re-look at our contact lists, and it was disappointing not to have better communication from central Auckland.

“At a time like this though, when everyone is scrambling to respond, it’s only natural that someone will miss a pass.”

Stephanie Barclay and her family were one of the hundreds people stranded in Warkworth after floods and slips blocked the highway north and south of the town. She was en route from Whangārei to Auckland when she was stopped on Schedewys Hill. “We sat in the car for three or four hours before eventually being turned around and sent back to Warkworth,” she said. The family used the facilities at the BP station and slept the night in their truck. She said it had been hard to make decisions because of the lack of any reliable information.

Wellsford rallies in flood response

Once again, it was local residents and volunteers who took it upon themselves to help the hundreds of motorists stranded in Wellsford when all roads were blocked by flooding and slips.

With no civil defence team in place or advice forthcoming, businesses and residents in the town opened their doors to help, providing food, drink and a place to stay.

Former Wellsford resident Riana Waenga saw what was happening on local social media pages and, with friend Shar Mihinnick, got the wheels in motion to open up Wellsford Community Centre.

As organisers of the town’s Friday night markets, they called hall coordinator Lisa Hampe to get the venue opened for those in need.

“I couldn’t get through myself but I had all my crew who knew the codes and PINs to get in, and Lisa said of course, go ahead,” Waenga said.

Mihinnick was soon on the scene, where cars were already camped in the carpark, welcoming dozens of families and individuals who were stuck. Meanwhile, a steady stream of locals turned up, offering mattresses, meals, equipment and practical help.

“There were around 250 people in that night. I was making phone calls while Shar was on the ground organising people,” Waenga said.

Other Wellsford venues staying open and giving the stranded a place to sleep included Wellsford RSA and Junction – Mr Chef bar and restaurant, and many people also parked up and stayed in their cars.

After staying awake all night, the community centre crew were on deck all day Saturday as well, cooking breakfast for people, providing food and support for anyone who needed it, and then laying on a dinner that night for local volunteers, first responders and road workers.

The core team of Mihinnick, Jolene Mckewen, Justine and Lee Peters, Joseph Kapea, Deejay Korewha, Lisa Te Haara and Ant Searle was backed up by a roster of locals dropping in to help out, including MP Marja Lubeck and her team, who helped with breakfast.

“The last family came in at 4.30am and we worked 27 hours straight,” Mihinnick said.

“It was pretty hectic.”

Local businesses chipped in to donate food and equipment, including Four Square, Gold Coin and New World Mangawhai, and the Red Cross came in to keep the centre open when more bad weather was forecast the following Monday.

Waenga said afterwards while she was stoked at the response and how the community had handled the sudden influx, there was a need for better emergency coordination and communication in future.

“We know our community and our community knows us – we don’t mind not having strangers around,” she said. “But we could have training in what we’re doing and when we’re doing it, and making sure everyone is safe.

“It was a massive wake-up call and a kick in the backside – we learned so much as people and as a community, and most of that was positive.”

Marja Lube ck

Labour List MP based in Kaipara ki Mahurangi

For appointments and assistance please phone: 0800 582 325 (0800 LUBECK) marja lubeck@parliament govt nz

5/62- 6 4 Q ueen Street , Wark wor th

On the road to completion –What’s coming up

In the recent weeks we have seen unprecedented rainfall affecting the whole of the Auckland Region. The Warkworth area was hard hit and roads in and out of the town were inaccessible at various times.

We are assessing the effects of the weather event and we continue to work hard to have the road open as soon as possible. We appreciate your patience as we work to complete the new motorway.

The planned overnight closures are underway to complete the final road surfacing, chip sealing, barrier installation, line marking and signage. As a reminder there will be extended road closures at the Johnstone Hill Tunnels over the coming weeks, as well as the likelihood of additional road layout changes.

Northbound SH1 closures between Silverdale to Johnstones Hill Tunnels (JHT). Detours will be in place via Hibiscus Coast Highway, from 9pm to 5am.

• Sunday 12 to Thursday 16 February

• Sunday 19 to Thursday 23 February

• Sunday 26 February to Thursday 2 March

• Sunday 5 to Thursday 9 March

While the northbound closure is in place, traffic will detour along Hibiscus Coast Highway (HCH). A stop/go operation will be in place on HCH to manage traffic safely.

Southbound SH1 closure between Pūhoi to the JHT. Detours will be in place via Hibiscus Coast Highway, from 9pm to 5am

• Wednesday 15 February and Thursday 16 February

• Sunday 19 to Thursday 23 February

• Sunday 26 February to Thursday 2 March

• Sunday 5 to Thursday 9 March

• Sunday 12 to Thursday 16 March

Over Dimension vehicles will be assisted through the site via our traffic management team. Heavy vehicles are advised to take State Highway 16. These works are coordinated alongside closures at Dome Valley for maintenance as both teams are again working together to ensure that we capitalise on these closures and get as much work done with the least possible disruption.

Additional to these night-time road closures, there may be additional road layout changes needed in the south to complete the final tie-in works around the JHT. We will update you once we have more information.

While all efforts have been made to limit disruption to traffic flows, we encourage you to plan your journey over this time and check the Waka Kotahi Journey Planner before heading out https://www.journeys.nzta.govt.nz/

While this will impact travel, completion of these works takes us closer to opening the new motorway as soon as possible and we are all looking forward to enjoying a safer, more resilient and reliable road with more consistent travel times.

For more information and regular updates, please visit our website nx2group.com or follow our Facebook page @aratuhonopuhoitowarkworth.

Nga mihi

Robert Jones –Project Director

For more information, call the NX2 team on: 24/7 Freephone: 0508 P2WK INFO (0508 7295 4636) Email: info@nx2group.com

Facebook: Ara Tūhono – Pūhoi to Warkworth Web: nx2group.com