The main road to Akaroa on Banks Peninsula is still blocked, days after intense rainfall flooded State Highway 75.
The highway from Christchurch has been closed from Motukarara to Little River since Wednesday night, and extreme caution is still advised on the remainder of the route to Akaroa.
Photos and videos shared by residents on social media show fallen trees and other major damage on the highway, which is the only road connecting communities like Akaroa to the rest of Canterbury.
Aerial footage captured by the Christchurch City Council on Thursday evening showed farmland submerged below floodwaters across the peninsula, and Minister for Emergency Management Mark Mitchell noted the full extent of the damage would not be clear until the water subsided.
The council also reported large cracks on Lighthouse Road in Akaroa, forcing some residents to evacuate.
“The assessment found there [is] no immediate danger to the evacuated properties or other properties in the vicinity,” the council posted on its Facebook page.
“However, if conditions change, we may require houses further down to evacuate at short notice.”
Contractors opened Lake Forsyth to the ocean on Friday afternoon, allowing the lake to drain excess water over the next seven days.
rnz.co.nz
