A two minute drive to work has turned into an hour for a Far North woman living near a huge washout that's created a trench across State Highway One and literally divided a community.
The area of SH1 at Pukenui that has been washed out Photo: Facebook / Thomas Hvid
The highway - and only road connecting the area to the south - was sliced in two on Friday after heavy rain took out a 20-metre section of the road that had covered a stream at Pukenui, about 40 kilometres north of Kaitaia.
Officially, it's cut off the very top tip of the North Island but locals have been finding a way round through unmarked forestry routes.
Houhora Four Square manager Jodie Ansell said the trench has literally divided the settlement.
"It's almost like an East Berlin, West Berlin sort of thing. It's not in the middle of a rural road - there's a house on one side and a house on the other and neither of those houses can meet at the moment," she said.
Her work is on one side of the trench and her house on the other, so the two-minute commute had become an hour and she had to close the shop early because it is too hairy to drive at night.
The washed out road south of Pukenui between Whalers Road and Lamb Road. Photo: Facebook / Houhora Big Game & Sports Fishing Club
But business had been steady, with anyone on the north side of the trench unable to make it to large supermarkets in Kaitaia.
Khismar Crewther farms the northern-most dairy farm in the country and had been worried the Fonterra tanker might not get it through.
"If he didn't turn up we'd have to drop all our milk and it would have just gone to the pigs," she said.
After a tricky detour, it made it but she was concerned if the route got more churned up because of traffic and heavy rain, the next one may not get back.
The washed out road south of Pukenui between Whalers Road and Lamb Road. Photo: Facebook / Houhora Big Game & Sports Fishing Club
The 90 Mile Beach Snapper Bonanza surfcasting competition had also brought hundreds of people to the area but most had four-wheel drives so drove along 90 Mile Beach, she said.
Hope Sucich lives in Te Hapua, 30 kilometres from Cape Reinga.
Her children already take a 2.5 hour school bus journey every day to Kaitaia College.
"They had to take a one hour detour through the forest for something that was a five minute drive if the (road) was there," she said.
NZTA said it would be at least mid week before the road was repaired but it hoped to get one lane open before then.
However, heavy rain could delay that, it said.