Date:  07 May 2018

An earthmoving contractor will be working on Motutapu Island for the next four weeks, starting tomorrow (Tuesday 8 May), repairing slip damage caused by Cyclone Debbie, just over a year ago.

Cyclone Debbie hit Motutapu in April last year, bringing heavy rain that triggered 300 slips on the island.

The slips and washouts blocked roads and tracks and shut down key infrastructure on Motutapu.DOC closed the island for six months until the risk of slips had eased, roads and tracks had been cleared and infrastructure restored.    

The contractor is working at three sites on Motutapu, that were worst hit by the Cyclone Debbie slips. The total cost of the work is $211,000. 

The first work site is on a road near Islington Bay, near the causeway that connects Motutapu to Rangitoto island.

The road was blocked by a Cyclone Debbie slip. The contractor is filling a large crack in the hillside above the road to prevent any further slipping.

The second site is on a road leading to the Motutapu Outdoor Education Camp. A slip undermined the road and the contractor is shoring up the road and ensuring it won’t be undermined by slips in future rainstorms.

The third site is at Home Bay campsite where a slip closed the toilet block. The contractor is working on the hill above the toilet block to limit, as much as possible, any potential for further slipping.

The toilet block survived the slip undamaged. The work on the hillside will ensure there’s no risk of it being hit by another slip.

The contract work will cause minimal disruption to people visiting Motutapu.  

The contractor will ensure there is no risk to people visiting Motutapu, or camping at Home Bay, as long as they follow the contractor’s instructions on how to keep themselves safe.

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