Taranaki campground waiting on prevention measures following landslide

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Oakura Beach Holiday Park is waiting for NPDC to plant trees along a cliff-face that slipped damaging two caravans.

Lisa Burd/Stuff

Oakura Beach Holiday Park is waiting for NPDC to plant trees along a cliff-face that slipped damaging two caravans.

An infamous slip spot at a Taranaki campground has been reseeded ahead of plans for new vegetation to be planted.

The Oakura Beach Holiday Camp had an early morning wake-up call on March 23 after a landslide shunted two caravans out of their usual spot, leaving debris over neighbouring campsites.

Both caravans were written-off and have been removed from the campground.

James Anderson, assistant manager of the holiday park, said the New Plymouth District Council (NPDC) had been to the park and hydro-seeded the area.

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Hydro-seeding involves spraying a mix of water, seed, fertiliser and mulch on to the land under high pressure.

This work has resulted in new grass growth, helping to secure the slip face.

“The council said it’s stable as it is,” Anderson said.

“The trees that were in that specific spot had all come down, so I think that might have been part of what made the soil so weak.”

Stuart Robertson, NPDC manager of parks and open spaces, said a barricade had been placed in the parking area beneath the slip while the hydro seeding takes hold.

“This area will eventually be revegetated.”

This is not the first time the campsite has dealt with landslides.

In 2011, torrential rain forced the same bank to slip into the campsite, damaging three cabins and several motor vehicles.

“With weather events like these becoming more common due to a changing climate, it is difficult to predict when and where they [slips] will occur,” Robertson said.