Work to rebuild the section of Golden Valley Road in Waihī that collapsed after heavy rains in May 2023 will begin next week.

“This will be welcome news for the local residents. It’s been a big exercise to align budgets, design and contractors so we’re very pleased to see this work get the green light”, said Hauraki District Council mayor, Toby Adams.

The rebuild repairs a five metre deep slip which removed approximately 66 metres of the road. There was a total of three slips which made Golden Valley Road impassable for pedestrians and vehicles at the Landlyst Road end.

To reduce the chance of a repeat event at the site, the rebuild includes a 125 metre road realignment along with retaining walls, backfilling and earthworks. Contractors, Ventia Ltd, plan to establish on site on Monday 17 February.

The planned completion date is Wednesday 9 April, excluding any unforeseen rain days or underground surprises.

“We know the length of time between the road collapse and start of the repair has been considerable”, said Group Services Manager, Adrian de Laborde.

“The difficulty was that the storm damage was not as a direct result of Cyclone Gabrielle, so the works didn’t qualify for the Government’s repair fund for that event. It’s taken a bit to balance the books but now that we’ve got a full budget approved, we’re eager to get going.”

Luckily there were no drive way accesses in this stretch of damaged Golden Valley Road so residents have had access to their properties at all times.

“It’s been a long haul and everyone will be very happy to see this road re-established. Our thanks to the local residents and community for their patience and understanding while we’ve been on this journey. It’s a relief to see that the destination is within sight”, said Mayor Toby.