Watching Values Being Washed Away

You have to feel for the folk at Haumoana, Hawkes Bay (3 hours drive south of Gisborne). This week’s high seas have really taken a toll on their properties, literally washing them away. It seems that whenever there is a high sea running, this area really takes a hammering. I wonder how many other coastal developments around the country are at risk? Watch the video here.

This article was reported in the Dominion Post. By MARTY SHARPE and DIANE JOYCE

Sea-front residents woke to smashing windows and six-metre waves in the worst Hawke’s Bay tidal surges in more than a decade.

But despite warnings to evacuate by police and Civil Defence, many residents refused to budge.

The waves, some as high as a house, smashed into the shore at Haumoana and Ocean Beach overnight on Sunday and again yesterday afternoon. Residents were again advised to stay away overnight with high tide expected to bring more damaging surges about 1pm today.

Chloe Edwards and her father, Kevin Ambler, dragged furniture stored in their sea-front garage to safety just before midnight on Sunday.

The concrete garage floor broke off an hour later and fell into the sea. As they grabbed boxes the sea came up through the floor, Mr Edwards said. “It was shocking.” Their next-door neighbour’s house was knee-deep in water, as the sea washed around the house and into the front door. Houses several doors down had windows broken by the force of the waves.

Mark Kennedy arrived home from hunting to find a living area of his bach knee-deep in water.

Having lived through monster waves several times in the past eight years, he waded through to a higher floor and went to bed. “What can you do … this is what happens.”

He surveyed his backyard yesterday. “Nice beach, nice view, it’s just that it’s getting closer and closer.”

Police and Civil Defence personnel went door-to-door yesterday advising residents to evacuate.

Ten people at Haumoana and four at Ocean Beach fled their homes. However, most stayed, saying yesterday’s waves were nothing compared to the previous night.

John Bridgeman, who has lived on the coast for 25 years, said they were the worst waves he had seen.

“Just in terms of size and frequency. She was pretty bad on Sunday night.”

Twenty-one Haumoana houses remain at the most vulnerable piece of coastline, which has eroded away over decades.

Insurance companies now refuse to insure several houses because of the risk of inundation and erosion.

Mark Lawrence, who was convicted and fined $3000 for building a 3m-high seawall without a building consent, said his house and several others would have been washed away on Sunday night if the wall was not there.

“It’s just a shame the council didn’t let me finish it.

“If it was a bit higher, it would have kept all the gravel off our yard.”