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As boulders the size of fire engines hurtled down the cliff towards him, Dunedin electrician Clive Kirkland knew it was matter of life or death.
It was September 2000, and he was on the second day of a South Island motorbike tour with five mates.
They had spent the previous night in Queenstown … View moreAs boulders the size of fire engines hurtled down the cliff towards him, Dunedin electrician Clive Kirkland knew it was matter of life or death.
It was September 2000, and he was on the second day of a South Island motorbike tour with five mates.
They had spent the previous night in Queenstown and were heading towards Wānaka when they spotted rocks on the road below the towering Nevis Bluff, on State Highway 6.
They stopped to see what was happening and noticed rocks the size of footballs popping out of the cliff face above them.
“It was like someone would spit a berry fruit ... like they were under pressure. It was so amazing to see.”
Two of their group proceeded through the rocks while the rest decided to turn back.
“Then all of a sudden it just opened up, and this big rock slip came pouring down on the road.”
The boom from the collapse was heard across surrounding vineyards and the dust cloud could be seen from 5 kilometres away.
Witnesses described the boulders as being as large as houses. Kirkland said they were the size of fire trucks.
“It was almost time to get off our bikes and run for our lives. It just happened so quick.
“It was life or death.”
When the slip stopped the rocks were piled so high that Kirkland and his friends could not see over them.
Ever since giant boulders fell in 2000, work has been ongoing to stabilise the Nevis Bluff.
“We were sitting there worried about our friends, then one of them came rock climbing over the top of the rocks and waves and says ‘we’re OK’.
“He shouldn’t have gone over there. He was a bit of an adventurer.”
Waka Kotahi estimated about 10,000 cubic metres of rock fell – about a third of a much larger fall in 1975.
After the fall in 2000, it took two weeks for the road between Queenstown and Cromwell to reopen and led to an ongoing monitoring regime, stabilisation work and controlled explosions.
In today’s dollar value, it has so far cost about $23 million to protect a road estimated to be used by nearly 5400 vehicles each day, pre-Covid-19.
A new $1 million project started on Tuesday to remove a massive section of rock from the bluff known as the Yates Feature (named after abseiler Ben Yates, a key member of the team mapping the unstable features on the Nevis Bluff after the 2000 rockfall).
It sits about 150m above the road at the Queenstown end of the bluff and is about 30m high, 20m wide, and weighs more than 4000 tonnes.
Waka Kotahi Central Otago senior network manager Robert Choveaux said movement and fresh cracking had been observed at the site since late last year and the team now wanted to stabilise the rock.
The schist was susceptible to freeze/thaw conditions in winter, rain, and dry, hot and windy conditions.
The goal now was to prevent an uncontrolled collapse.
The team would insert 100 rock bolts into the rock mass to stabilise it, rather than using explosives, which would be significantly disruptive to road users, Choveaux said.
“The majority of the work can be completed with the road remaining open to two lanes with minimal disruption to road users, but there will need to be closures as abseilers and drilling gear is set up and moved around the rock face.”
The work is expected to take 16 weeks to complete, subject to rock and weather conditions.
Kirkland, who has since retired and is now living in Wānaka, said he and his motorbike friends called the road past the Nevis Bluff the “Rock Slide Rumble.”
“Every time I go through, and I’ve been through quite a lot, I think about it.
“It really was life or death,” he said.
Hi Neighbours,
Download your Property Climate Risk Report today and receive a 20% discount! Simply insert this code SUMMER22 at checkout and find out how climate resilient your property is today.
The peak property buying and selling season is here and after the record-breaking warmth of … View moreHi Neighbours,
Download your Property Climate Risk Report today and receive a 20% discount! Simply insert this code SUMMER22 at checkout and find out how climate resilient your property is today.
The peak property buying and selling season is here and after the record-breaking warmth of 2021, it is time to consider how our climate could impact your home.
Let's plan together to keep your home cooler, drier and more liveable.
Dear neighbours,
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are now on the hunt for eggplant recipes, so send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz before January 30, 2022.
Every published recipe wins a copy of our special edition Homegrown … View moreDear neighbours,
Every month, NZ Gardener runs a series of tested reader recipes using a seasonal crop. We are now on the hunt for eggplant recipes, so send your best ones to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz before January 30, 2022.
Every published recipe wins a copy of our special edition Homegrown Recipes.
Electrification of the motoring industry is not only inevitable, it is happening at a far faster rate than most people were probably expecting.
Our new weekly newsletter Quick Charge makes it easy to be informed and entertained, bringing you all of the biggest EV news, as well as regular updates… View moreElectrification of the motoring industry is not only inevitable, it is happening at a far faster rate than most people were probably expecting.
Our new weekly newsletter Quick Charge makes it easy to be informed and entertained, bringing you all of the biggest EV news, as well as regular updates on our various long-term tests and other bits and pieces that have caught our eye.
Sign up (it's free!) here.
Wake up on Sunday morning to a treat in your inbox from the team at Sunday magazine.
As well as the weekly cover story, Sunday's free newsletter delivers the latest on food (including delicious recipes from our resident chef Sam Mannering), fashion, design, beauty and well-being direct to … View moreWake up on Sunday morning to a treat in your inbox from the team at Sunday magazine.
As well as the weekly cover story, Sunday's free newsletter delivers the latest on food (including delicious recipes from our resident chef Sam Mannering), fashion, design, beauty and well-being direct to your inbox.
Sign up here and we'll see you on Sunday!
The 98-year-old painter who saved a village and a cat who hitched a ride to a charity shop in an old chair feature in today's Antidote - your much-needed dose of positivity to remind you that there's inspiration, kindness and quirkiness even in these unusual times. … View moreThe 98-year-old painter who saved a village and a cat who hitched a ride to a charity shop in an old chair feature in today's Antidote - your much-needed dose of positivity to remind you that there's inspiration, kindness and quirkiness even in these unusual times. Sign up here to get The Antidote delivered to your inbox (it's free!)
We live in unusual times. It all gets a bit much some days. So we're bringing you a much-needed dose of positivity to remind you that there's inspiration, kindness and quirkiness out there too.
Sign up here to get The Antidote delivered to your inbox each day.
Today: … View moreWe live in unusual times. It all gets a bit much some days. So we're bringing you a much-needed dose of positivity to remind you that there's inspiration, kindness and quirkiness out there too.
Sign up here to get The Antidote delivered to your inbox each day.
Today: The story of a husband for sale on Trade Me, a skipper with a digger, kiwi chicks in the skies and many, many beers for Betty White.
Hi neighbours!
Need to rehab your money? Grow your wealth? Just understand your finances a bit better? Here's how you can start.
MoneyIQ will give you all the basics you need to get your money sorted and start working towards a brighter, richer future.
Hi neighbours,
We live in unusual times. It all gets a bit much some days. So we're bringing you a much-needed dose of positivity to remind you that there's inspiration, kindness and quirkiness out there too.
You can check out today's edition of The Antidote - which features a cute… View moreHi neighbours,
We live in unusual times. It all gets a bit much some days. So we're bringing you a much-needed dose of positivity to remind you that there's inspiration, kindness and quirkiness out there too.
You can check out today's edition of The Antidote - which features a cute puppy, the UK's longest-married couple, and Stewart Island's "savage" New Year's Eve here. If you'd like the Antidote delivered direct to your inbox, sign up here.
Now's a great time to get decorating and Save the GST value (15% off the full retail price) on Resene Premium Paints, Wood Stains, Primers, Sealers, Wallpaper, Decorating Accessories and Cleaning Products!
Plus if you're a Resene DIY Cardholder get an extra 5% off! If you don't … View moreNow's a great time to get decorating and Save the GST value (15% off the full retail price) on Resene Premium Paints, Wood Stains, Primers, Sealers, Wallpaper, Decorating Accessories and Cleaning Products!
Plus if you're a Resene DIY Cardholder get an extra 5% off! If you don't have a card, you can sign up free online, www.resene.co.nz/diycard, or while you are in store.
Offer available at Resene owned ColorShops and participating resellers until 1 February 2022.
Hi Neighbour,
How well do you know your customers? That might seem like a redundant question but let’s dig a little deeper.
Do you know their age? Their income? The values that resonate with them? Where do they live? Do they have a family? How do they like to spend their spare time?
As … View moreHi Neighbour,
How well do you know your customers? That might seem like a redundant question but let’s dig a little deeper.
Do you know their age? Their income? The values that resonate with them? Where do they live? Do they have a family? How do they like to spend their spare time?
As you answer these questions (and as many others as you can come up with) you’ll start to build clear customer personas that will help you tailor the experience you provide to fit the needs of your customers.
We’ve got a whole series of bite-sized videos on customer personas and customer experience waiting for you over on our website, so if 2022 is the year you take your business to the next level head on over and get started today!
The Team at Digital Boost
It’s easy to create this simple blue succulent trough with a little bit of help from Resene testpots.
Find out how to create your own.
Wedding nuptials have been postponed, cancelled and overturned for the last 18 months due to Covid-19 restrictions – leaving the wedding industry feeling the pinch.
Weddings and elopements in New Zealand hit an all-time low in 2020 and have not picked up since.
The number of non-Kiwis getting … View moreWedding nuptials have been postponed, cancelled and overturned for the last 18 months due to Covid-19 restrictions – leaving the wedding industry feeling the pinch.
Weddings and elopements in New Zealand hit an all-time low in 2020 and have not picked up since.
The number of non-Kiwis getting married in New Zealand is not available, but the number of Kiwis getting married or entering civil unions dropped 20 per cent between 2018 and 2020 – from 20,949 to 16,779.
Marriage numbers in New Zealand have been in decline since the 1960s, but Covid-19 has stopped us from being a wedding and elopement destination for overseas couples too.
Wedding planners in the Queenstown Lakes District are getting only 10 to 25 per cent of their usual business at this time of year. Continue reading here.
David Hullah was touring the South Island when his mother suddenly told him to turn off the highway. “She wanted to see the site where her aunt was murdered.”
Hamish McNeilly investigates two tragedies; the brutal murder of André Jose on Stewart Island in 1927, and the devastating fire at the… View moreDavid Hullah was touring the South Island when his mother suddenly told him to turn off the highway. “She wanted to see the site where her aunt was murdered.”
Hamish McNeilly investigates two tragedies; the brutal murder of André Jose on Stewart Island in 1927, and the devastating fire at the former Seacliff Lunatic Asylum in 1942, over on The Mish - check it out (and sign up) here.
David Hullah was touring the South Island when his mother suddenly told him to turn off the highway. “She wanted to see the site where her aunt was murdered.”
Hamish McNeilly investigates two tragedies; the brutal murder of André Jose on Stewart Island in 1927, and the devastating fire at the… View moreDavid Hullah was touring the South Island when his mother suddenly told him to turn off the highway. “She wanted to see the site where her aunt was murdered.”
Hamish McNeilly investigates two tragedies; the brutal murder of André Jose on Stewart Island in 1927, and the devastating fire at the former Seacliff Lunatic Asylum in 1942, over on The Mish - check it out (and sign up) here.
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