Marlborough town residents don't let deluge dampen community spirit

Heavy rain has washed a lot of things away in the small Marlborough township of Canvastown, but not its community spirit.

Over the past week, the settlement's residents moved quickly to fortify what has become their key place of refuge, the local Pelorus Tavern-Trout Bar, as the fast flowing nearby Wakamarina River swelled.

For a town cut off from much of the world right now, including supply routes, life at the pub was "doing pretty well," according to landlady Kaycee Polkinghorne.

Polkinghorne told Morning Report they had been warned when they took over the tavern - at the end of 2021 - to have sandbags at the ready because the place had already been flooded several times before.

With the help of locals in packing and putting out sandbags, they managed to keep the hotel completely dry despite the river gushing past its side, she said.

"There's no road there anymore but we kept it dry which is the main thing."

Farmers in the area also joined hands to repair their fencing, she said.

"They've been getting together because a lot of them can't go to their normal jobs so they've been working together to help fix fencing and things like that.

"Our local Te Hora Pa marae are making a lot of food to feed tens of people."

But being cut off meant they were running low on some supplies, she said, although they had been able to get medication in via helicopter.

The Ministry of Social Development said it would offer payments via Civil Defence to anyone affected by flooding or slips at the top of the South Island.

The payments were not income tested, and differing amounts were available depending on people's circumstances.

A family with children staying in temporary accommodation can claim up to $1300.

Those who want support can call the Ministry of Social Development, or visit the nearest Work and Income Service Centre.

Civil Defence Marlborough regional controller Richard McNamara estimated the cost of clean-up would be at least $100 million for the region.

"It's going to be a long effort," he told Morning Report. "It's going to be a hard effort, but we've got great teams out there doing the work."

The scale of damage from last week's weather havoc was similar to Nelson's, but the difference was it was spread over a vast area of the northwest catchments in Marlborough and then out across the Marlborough Sounds, McNamara said.

"We're up to 52 homes that have either been moderately or at very high risk of damage and that's largely a result of all the slumps and slips on the roads, with houses above and below the roads."

There had been difficulties assessing all the damage, but at this stage it was about understanding people's plight, he said.

"We can't get the Makos fans to the Blenheim match on Saturday ... but we can supply the needs to the people that are directly affected."

Caution advised on tracks on top of South Island

Parts of the Abel Tasman Coast track and the Queen Charlotte track have closed due to multiple slips and other damage after last week's rainfall.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) said both tracks remained open, but caution was advised for walkers, and biking was not recommended.

There was limited road access to Abel Tasman National Park, but all beaches and campsites that could be reached by boat and kayak were open.

DOC northern South Island operations director Roy Grose said staff were still checking tracks in the region and the full extent of damage was not yet known.

He said people should check the DOC website for the latest updates on what was open.

'This is something like I've never really seen before in the region'

Over in Nelson, Nelson Marlborough Insurance Brokers' Chris Collins is travelling around the region to help clients settle insurance claims.

"A first-home buyer that we had - and you can imagine buying your first home in 2021 in the market as it was and then to sort of wake up on Saturday and find a slip behind your house which has really made their house uninhabitable."

The extent of damage from the relentless rain was only starting to be seen now, Collins told Morning Report.

"When you see a disaster like this, Nelson is really quite used to it. I mean in 2018 we had [Cyclone] Fehi, 2019, we had the Nelson fires, so we're really punching above our weight but this is something like I've never really seen before in the region."

The flooding from Maitai River breaching its banks was one part of the issue but the clusters of slips around different suburbs in the city was another disaster, he said.

"We're really not too sure how far that's going to go, how long that's going to take to clean up and really where we put the dirt once we've started clearing it."

It also exposed the region's vulnerabilities to natural disasters, exacerbated by its location between coastlines and hills, he said.

"We've got really one road in and out at the moment. What Kaikōura has taught us is when you have a quake, the coastal roads will be gone.

"Now our issue and what you're seeing at the moment is two-hour delays for a 20-minute drive and a lot of people live in the suburbs ... and when you think about it, you've got a hospital right in the middle, so it really does show the vulnerability in our region if we were to have something big like an earthquake."

Meanwhile, the northbound lane of State Highway 6, Rocks Road in Nelson has reopened for the day.

Waka Kotahi said from tomorrow, the road would open daily between 8am and 7pm to northbound traffic heading from Tahunanui to Nelson.

Cyclists and pedestrians will not be able to use the route.

Waka Kotahi said geotechnical experts would continue to inspect the route to see the impact traffic was having on the road and nearby properties, and it could be closed again at short notice.