Old tunnel horrifies farmer

Road authorities are reassuring drivers that an old unsupported clay tunnel underneath Surf Highway 45 is safe and is regularly inspected.
Coastal farmer Bill Honeyfield says he was horrified when he discovered the tunnel, 500m south of Oakura's Lucy's Gully, while helping clear the flood-ravaged farm of sharemilker Grant Holmes.
Much of Mr Holmes' land was covered in mud and debris by the flooded Whenuariki Stream two weeks ago. The tunnel takes the stream under State Highway 45.
When clay dries and cracks during dry spells, it is in danger of collapsing once the water gets in, Mr Honeyfield says. It is seriously at risk of caving in if blocked by logs.
Mr Honeyfield estimates the tunnel could be 100 years old.
"And nothing's ever been done since. There's 40-45-tonne trucks going over it now. I'd hate to think what would happen if it collapsed when a school bus went over it."
A guarantee needed to be made that the tunnel was safe, he said.
"We need assurances. I'd like a Transit engineer to tell that to the people of Taranaki, " Mr Honeyfield says.
Transit regional manager Errol Christiansen, of Wanganui, responded that engineers had made a preliminary check of the tunnel and others after the floods. It was not at risk, he said.
"They have to clear all the logs away from the front. That's the critical thing, to make sure the waterway is clear."
All such clay and concrete culverts have a regular inspection regime and were re-checked if there was a big event.
However, the most danger came from blocked culverts, whether they were concrete or clay, he said.
This had occurred at Tataraimaka about 10 years ago when the force of the water took out the road, the concrete culvert, stripped trees of their bark and destroyed properties, Mr Christiansen said.
There are many clay water courses on the Paraparas similar to the Whenuariki Stream tunnel, he says.
"A couple have blown out on us when the entrance gets blocked."