Tolaga Bay Farmer ‘Back at Square One’ After Storms
A rain gauge measured 215mm of rain falling over a 12-hour period in the area during the weekend.
Photo: Supplied
A Tolaga Bay farmer is feeling defeated, essentially starting over just months after finishing repairs from storms that struck four years ago.
A low pressure system brought heavy rain and thunderstorms too the north Island over the weekend, causing surface flooding, downed trees, travel disruptions, and the evacuation of up to 30 campers in Tolaga Bay.
Greg Shelton, a local farmer and the area manager for Tolaga Bay Civil Defense, expects it will take at least three days to fully assess the damage to his property.
Federated Farmers reports that while some farms experienced significant damage, others are benefiting from the rain, which breaks a period of near-drought conditions.
‘Pretty Damn Hard’
Shelton explained his farm is currently cut off and sustained considerable damage during intense, localized downpours.
A rain gauge near his property, about 8 kilometers east of Tolaga Bay, recorded 215mm of rain over 12 hours this weekend. He believes over half of that fell during a especially intense hour and a half of thunderstorms on saturday night.
“Other farms nearby recorded half or even a quarter of that amount, so we unfortunately got hit by the worst of it. We were hit especially hard for an hour and a half, and that’s what caused moast of the damage,” Shelton said.
Shelton added that his farm is “back at square one” after completing repairs from storms in March 2022.
“We’re dealing with most fences down, roads needing a lot of work.The main access road is now a narrow pathway for vehicles to get in and out. Then we have to….”