Fears for residents' mental health as lack of bridge splits small community

In the rural Hawke's Bay community of Puketapu, residents say the loss of a bridge ripped away by floodwaters during Cyclone Gabrielle has torn the community apart.

At a recent meeting, they said it was not only causing headaches with long detours - people's mental health was suffering without easy access to friends and neighbours.

The council said it would be 18 months before the Puketapu bridge was rebuilt across the Tūtaekurī river.

Watch footage of the bridge collapse.

Lesley Wilson, who grew apples and pears in the area, said since the cyclone the community has been split in two - it was now known as North and South Puketapu. She had properties on both sides of the river.

"It takes me an hour for what used to be a five-minute drive to get across; it's impossible to manage.

"But it's not that, I mean I've been speaking to members of the community tonight who are really worried about the mental health of some of our members.

"They've got nobody to talk to. The communities are decimated, so you drive up the road at night and there's no lights on in the valleys anymore."

Amy Bowkett's home was destroyed in the floods. She and her whānau have since left Puketapu for Napier.

"I think from now that I don't live here anymore. I miss it, but I'm also seeing that everyone is quite depressed out here in Puketapu, especially with the divide here now between Puketapu North and South."

Hastings District Council said in a statement it was working on designing a new bridge, which it hoped would have two lanes - an improvement on the previous single lane - and space for cyclists and pedestrians, too.

But that could take up to 18 months and was dependent on funding, including any support it would get from the government.

Residents like Wilson wanted a temporary walking bridge in the meantime - to save on the hour-long round-trip school run twice daily, and make it easier to pop to the treasured local pub, which is near the bridge and due to reopen next weekend.

"That's just a place where people can come and relax," Wilson said. "There's a decent parking area across the other side of the river. Have a bit of a swing bridge, you can walk back and forth, that's amazing."

Temporary option ruled out

However, the council said it was not on the cards.

The Puketapu bridge was one of 16 in the district that were destroyed, and 26 were seriously damaged - nearly all of which have been replaced with temporary bailey bridges.

Council chief executive Nigel Bickle said the job was too big for a bailey bridge.

"In Puketapu it's just such a wide span at 122 metres that there is no temporary option.

"It's too big for a bailey bridge, and the judgement that we've made is trying to find a temporary solution, in terms of the cost and time, is we're better to focus on the permanent solution."

The council said interim measures it considered - like a light traffic or pedestrian bridge - would have taken around a year to build.

Bickle asked the community for patience, but acknowledged an 18-month wait was a tough pill to swallow.

"You know it is understanding and patience, but absolutely accept that the people of Puketapu feel divided between north and south, and just want their bridge back."

At least some relief is on the horizon - the opening of the Waiohiki bridge near Taradale next month will chop 20 minutes from some people's journeys around the area.

And while it might take a while to get there, the local pub opening its doors is expected to go some way to bring together the divided community.