Massive sports ground slip ‘like porridge’
Massive sports ground slip ‘like porridge’: It will take several months to clean up after a big slip in Wellington that ruined a portion of a sports pitch and crashed into a popular nature reserve.
Tim Park, manager of Otari-Bush, Wilton’s described the material as having the consistency of porridge. “We can’t even get our feet across it.”
It was going to be “quite a challenge” to clear the large swath of saturated dirt that had subsided from the sports ground at Wilton Park, which was 40 metres wide, he said. Even after a week had passed since the slip, the region was inaccessible.
During the days of severe rain the previous week, it was one of more than 160 slips that were reported to the Wellington City Council. During the same time period, precipitation totaling nearly half a metre fell in the Nelson and Tasman areas, causing the mandatory evacuation of hundreds of homes.
The Kaiwharawhara Stream has been obstructed due to the fact that the northwest corner of Wilton Park has basically sloped down towards Otari. The picnic area on the [South] side has had two metres’ worth of sediment thrown into it. “There is no way around it,” Park added. “It’s entirely impenetrable.”
He had high hopes that the Kaiwharawhara Stream track will reopen “at some point in the summer,” but he was sceptical that the playing field at Wilton Park would be useable by that time.
According to Park, the majority of the reserve is still accessible, and there will be an open day as scheduled on September 17.
Karl Teariki, a homeowner on Shropshire Avenue, stated that his initial reaction upon seeing the slip directly across from his home was “holy crap.”
He was sceptical that there was anything that could be done to fix Wilton Park, other than enclosing the damaged area with fencing.
Declarations
“How in the hell are they going to fix that? It’s such a massive job,” Teariki added.
He was monitoring the banks in the area around his house for any “movement or fissures” that might appear.
“There is a small one down here, but it’s really not even a drop in the bucket. We almost avoided disaster. We have a lot more good fortune than the folks who live down south [in Nelson and Tasman].”
Amelia White, who lives in Ngaio, mentioned that the Kaiwharawhara Stream pathway located below the slip was her typical route for a walk. Because the valley was so protected from the elements, it was one of her favourite places to go walking.
“It would’ve been terrifying. Because there were so many people using the track, it’s a miracle that nobody got hurt.
Andy Foster, the Mayor of Wilton Park, is an avid football player, and he scored his most recent goal of the season earlier this year at Wilton Park.
Statements
According to him, the fact that the playing surface was constructed using fill meant that the slide might remain unstable for some time.
At an earlier point in the week, Foster was quoted as saying, “There’s no rock in there at all, so it might simply keep going.”
Due to the fact that the sports field was closed, the construction of an artificial pitch in the surrounding region became a higher priority. He gave the impression that the new pitch would most likely have to be situated in Ian Galloway Park.
“We have been discussing the possibility of constructing sports fields in the western region for some time. It is more vital to make headway on an artificial grass for the west in light of the fact that the full-size field at Wilton is likely going to be lost.
Only seven games had been played on the pitch so far this season, according to the manager of football operations at Capital Football, Blair Duncan. After a year marred by inclement weather, the Karori clubs would be grateful for an artificial turf that is more durable.
“Artificial turfs are quite wonderful for the amount of training and extra use you can get out of them,” the author writes. “[T]hey can be used for almost anything.”
Duncan acknowledged that it was unfortunate to see the destruction that slips had created throughout the city, but he supported the decision made by the council to close the grounds.
“If it can be reopened safely, we would love to have it back as a football field,” he added. “We would love to have it back as a football field.”