Mōkau Museum volunteer Jennifer Topless with the display assembled by fellow volunteer Chris Polleti. Chris has highlighted colourful accounts of the massive flooding to hit the west coast more than 80 years ago. PHOTO SUPPLIED
When it hit in February, Tropical Cyclone Grabrielle was rated New Zealand’s most deadly and costly cyclone on record, with total damages of $13.5 billion.
But at Mōkau Museum and Gallery there’s a fascinating reminder that massive weather events are nothing new in the King Country.
Museum volunteer Chris Polleti has compiled a display that recalls one of the largest storms to hit the King Country last century, the floods of February 1940.
Chris has put together accounts from the Taranaki Daily News which describe how communications along what is now SH3 came to a standstill for many days following the storm, which was reported in the February 27 issue of the newspaper.
At the time the newspaper article was written, damage to Awakino Gorge was estimated to require six weeks to two months to repair and heavy earth moving machinery had been summoned from Waiouru.
“Between Awakino and Mōkau there are 16 major slips and at Tongapōrutu travellers in 30 cars and a bus were marooned. Over 60 people are camped in their cars along the roadside but are meeting their troubles in splendid spirit. One man has loaned his caravan to [some] women and a cookhouse has been rigged from two tent flies.”
The reports said a telegraph linesman from Māhoenui who had reached Awakino the previous day reported 17 major slips within 29km. About 3km north of Awakino, the tunnel road had caved in badly and it appeared a bridge would be necessary across the gap.
There was a definite fear among the settlers in the flood-affected areas of an epidemic outbreak,” said L.W. Lovell, a man who had climbed over many slips and walked 50km, from Awakino toward New Plymouth, to escape the damage.
Mr Lovell explained that in many of the valleys, the slips had come down and blocked up water courses, forming little lakes containing a tremendous amount of vegetation, debris, dead stock and eels.
The stench was already bad just a few days following the storm, and Mr Lovell considered the fears of the local people to be well founded.
