Maraetai locals at Umupuia marae say the extent of this week's flooding is the worst they've ever seen. The wharekai flooded, the coastline has receded up to seven metres and landslips have reduced roadways to one lane with other sections breaking away.
The flood water came quickly from the hills behind Umupuia Pā, forging its own path towards the coastline swallowing land and destroying the road.
Marae Trustee Laurie Beamish says, "Looking behind me across the atea (forecourt) of our marae it was completely under water and the water was completely flowing through our wharekai and our papakainga whare. The major impact apart from the clean-ups required around our whare has been across on our beach. We've witnessed perhaps areas between five and ten metres wide being washed away over the subsequent days."
Waist-deep flood water came in the early hours of Tuesday morning, since then heavy rain has caused frequent road closures and power cuts for residents.
Beamish says, "We've had neighbours looking for horses, reporting cattle washed away and being found alive on our moutere (island) out here, particularly Pounui, and it's never happened before."
Locals say the floods are the worst they've ever seen in the history of the area. But their biggest concern is the landslips and erosion at either end of Maraetai Coast Road, the only point of access to get in or out of the area.
"It is a concern when our old people and our kaumatua and our kuia are asleep and the waters rise at night, we were fortunate at this time that we were able to wake them and we have a two-storey building we can move into if necessary,” says Beamish.
The marae has used a digger to open up drains and has assessed culverts in the area to reduce water flow for the coming days. They remain on high alert.