Manawatu Gorge Landslide NZ

It does look determined to fall Dwyllis..I am not sure I would feel safe using that road again.

How sad that all that hard work has to be done all over again..Is that a major route Dwyllis,or more a tourist
area ?

I just read up a bit about this and the frustration of motorists and businesses who depend on that road is clear. But the hillside looks composed of loose material at least in places, can it be solved?

The road through this gorge connects the Manawatu district to the Hawkes Bay district .... both huge areas with lots of towns & cities within them. Really, this road connects the lower part of the North Island with the central & upper part of the North Island, so it is a major problem that it has been closed for months now. The problems with slips on this route have been on-going for many decades .... I remember travelling through this gorge as a child in the 1950s. The hill is unstable & has been shored-up with reinforcements of varying types over the years, but inevitably mother nature has the upper hand. I don't think we have ever had such an enormous slip to contend with, & it is so unstable that as they are working on it, more is coming down. I just know that one day someone is going to be buried beneath it all! The alternative route on one side of the gorge is called the Saddle Road & is very winding & narrow, & we have lots of big trucks driving through. In my opinion (humble though it may be), the powers that be would be better spending our money on widening that road & resurfacing it, & closing the gorge road completely. It does take about ten mins longer to drive through, but no safety issues. On the other side of the gorge, the route across country is through beautiful native bush, but the road is narrow & up & down & winding all the way through & takes about 20 mins longer than driving through the gorge.

It sounds like this will be a fork in the roads quite literally for future conectivity. How does the balance between the need for a viable modern infrastructure and the preservation of natural habitat sit with NZers? Is there still a pioneer aspect? Without trying to sound like you landed last week lol.

Awesome picture;There's no holding back mother nature...