The State of Emergency in Canterbury's storm-hit Banks Peninsula has finally been lifted. But almost two weeks after severe rain lashed the region, causing flooding and slips, some Akaroa residents are still waiting to return home.
Alan Hemsley had been living in rental accommodation since he was evacuated from his home on Aylmers Valley Road ten days ago.
Alan Hemsley, who was evacuated from his home on Alymers Valley Road. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
He said the slip, which sat above his property on the nearby Lighthouse Road, was significant.
"There's probably over one thousand cubic metres in volume, it's destabilised, and obviously there's a sliding zone which creates instability, but that material will basically slide down onto the Lighthouse Road. It really needs to be removed, " he said.
Heavy rain and flooding caused several slips along Banks Peninsula. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Hemsley's property was one of four that were evacuated by the council as a precaution.
He wanted the council to urgently fix the slip so people could return home.
"There's nothing like being in your own bed at night, and being on your own property, you can get quality sleep, and it's just peace of mind to be fair, it's easier on everyone," he said.
Lighthouse Road has been closed due to Banks Peninsula slips. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
"It'd be nice to see a big digger and a few big trucks up there just to take the pressure off the top of that slip and some subsurface drainage as soon as possible."
The council said the storm caused 29 slips in total across the Christchurch district, with the vast majority in Banks Peninsula.
Hemsley worked as an excavation contractor on the peninsula and had been flat-out helping with the clean-up.
"There's still a list of jobs to do, so we'll get to everyone as soon as we can, but peninsula people are very resilient, it's a wonderful community, we look after each other," he said.
Penguin tour business Pōhatu Penguins had been forced to temporarily close because Lighthouse Road, the only road up to its Flea Bay colony, was impassable.
General manager Kevin Parthonnaud said they had to refund a number of bookings.
Kevin Parthonnaud, Pōhatu Penguins general manager. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
"Over winter, we're getting probably 30 to 40 people maybe a day, so that's two to three tours sometimes a day we've had to cancel," he said.
He said another worry was that the business directly funded the conservation work they did with the penguins.
"When there's no tourism, the income is not coming in either, it's always a matter of kind of thinking of that," he said.
"We're confident that it's going to come back to normal soon."
Charlotte Oborne lives on a farm near the Lighthouse Road slip, and said her teenage daughter was having to walk 45 minutes to school because their home was cut off.
She said her family was tired of the restrictions on getting around.
"A little bit like going back into Covid, as in it's just really quiet and it just means if we're going to go out we just have to plan a bit ahead and check the weather a bit more or whatever to make sure it's all right when we come back in."
Oborne said access to Akaroa via a back road meant a journey of about an hour each way.
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