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Kaitaia Floods

 

Kaitaia has an extensive history of flooding. Geographically the town with a population of approximately 5,000 lies in the throat of a river valley with high sides. This valley is the pathway for three river systems and catchment areas draining into a large swampy area which lies north of Kaitaia. This swampy area is contained behind the sand dunes of the Ninety Mile beach and eventually drains out through the East coast to the sea. Periodically heavy rain storms such as tropical cyclones dump several hundred millimetres of rain in the catchment areas resulting in flash floods heading downstream. When all three catchment areas are inundated at once as happened in July 2007 the results can be catastrophic when the flood front reaches Kaitaia. The following photos show some of the floods and flood protection works at the south-west end of the town mainly around Puriri Place. Some more flood photos can be seen in The Northwood Collection by going here......

 

These photos show there has been a history of trying to control the floods right back to the beginning of Kaitaia township and even now The Northern Regional Council is still trying to tame the floods..........