Police Snippets

 

Flooding traps motorist
The deluge of rain over Queen’s Birthday Weekend caused flooding in many areas in Mangawhai including pastures, roads and even a basement. 

On June 3 around 1.30pm, one lucky man along with his young child and dog were able to escape their vehicle unharmed after being taken by surprise by flood waters on Waiteitei Road, Tomarata. 

Police say local witnesses to the incident say they saw the white utility truck try to cross the stretch of road but was swept sideways and carried over the farm fence and into a culvert by the turbulent water. The man managed to get himself, his child and dog out of the ute and clung onto a nearby tree, Senior Constable Graham Gough says. 

“His car was completely covered by the water. Mangawhai and Wellsford Police attended the incident and, after convincing the man to let his dog go, they were helped out of the tree by two local men.” 

Gough says due to the undulations along Waiteitei Road, it is notorious for flooding and poses real risk for drivers. 

“Flooding can happen really quickly. I was actually checking out that stretch of road around 11.30 that morning and it was clear two hours later the road was unpassable,” he says. “The area is part of the flood plains of Whangapiro… we are looking into getting better flood warning signage along the road.”

Car collision fatal
A fatal accident which tragically caused the death of a local Kaiwaka woman after her car collided with another vehicle, was the reason for the traffic congestion in Mangawhai on the afternoon of June 1.

Northbound and southbound traffic diverted along Mangawhai-Kaiwaka and Mangawhai Roads was brought to a standstill with some drivers taking up to 2.5 hours to negotiate the distance between Te Hana and Mangawhai Village. The diversion caused the usual bottleneck at the corner of Insley Street and Moir Road, Senior Constable Graham Gough says. 

“There are traffic control management officers available who divert traffic around the incident, but problem is once traffic reaches Mangawhai there is nothing,” he says. “Police are looking into getting a better process in place for these occurrences, to help relieve flow of traffic and congestion.” 

-- REPORTING/Julia Wade

Clear the day after but this section of Waiteitei Road was a roaring torrent on June 3, strong enough to carry a utility and three passengers over a farm fence. (PHOTO/Supplied)

Flooding along Tomarata Roads are a regular occurrence and the depth of the water deceptive. Drivers need to take caution Police say. (PHOTO/Supplied)