[ad_1]
A lone woman, armed with a shovel, was digging sand and weeds out of the river at Te Henga (Bethells Beach) on Friday.
The normally placid waterway that snakes its way around the road to the iconic West Coast beach burst its banks and changed course as Cyclone Gabrielle battered the region earlier this week.
“Where are all the boys?” she asked with a smile, before adding there were about a dozen out the day before, building up the banks of the Waitākere River.
Within an hour a digger was at work on the other side of the bank.
READ MORE:
* Cyclone Gabrielle: Swollen river carries off Auckland surf club deck
* Auckland floods: 3-year-old asleep on floating sofa rescued by surf guards
* Auckland flooding: Bethells Beach residents ‘thrilled’ to see road rebuilt and open
* Iwi Te Kawerau ā Maki acquire ancestral land at Te Henga to build marae
The bridge is closed to outsiders.
Two overseas tourists turned up and asked locals for directions. They wanted to go “hiking”.
They were told by locals that wouldn’t be possible today.
Parts of the road have been nibbled away by the Waitākere River.
A short walk along the road, lines company workers are replacing power poles.
One concrete post bent around almost on itself and appeared in a similar state to a tree on the Chatham Islands.
“We saw that one go,” said one man. “Welcome to the Wild West.”
The local surf life-saving club, established in 1958, has lost its entire deck to the river.
The iconic hills that overlook the untamed beach are now pockmarked from slips, exposing bare clay soil that was once covered in mānuka and harakeke.
On the way out of the settlement is the Bethells Fire Station. The big door is wide open, inviting locals in for a hot shower.
Parts of the settlement are still without power.
Locals spoke of a military helicopter landing recently.
They were initially worried someone had been injured, but the military personel were there to hand out bottled water.
“We’re all on tank water. I mean, come on,” said one.
Surf lifesaving operations manager James Rea encouraged people to stay off the west coast beaches.
“Please stay away, the residents are just trying to survive… If you get into trouble, you’re on your own.”
He said Auckland’s west coast was hit hard by Gabrielle at a time when the ground was already sodden.
Lea said the surf club will be meeting next week to plan the clean-up and building work needed.
Te Henga takes its name from the sand dunes and their resemblance to the gunwale of an upturned waka.
One local told Stuff that thousands of tonnes of that sand is now in the gardens of local residents.
The clean-up may take some time.
[ad_2]