The Adventure of the Opanuku Steam.

This past Monday, August 29, 2021, the rain started slowly.  It increased a few times to what I would call a semi-downpour, but I had seen it rain harder in the past and I didn't pay much attention. I guess it did seem to increasing as Jeanne and I went to bed at about 10 pm.  

Apparently, things escalated during the night. I didn't hear a thing. Still, the next morning, I suggested that we take a walk down to the bridge over the Opanuku and check out the water level.  

I have been watching online reports about the levels in the reservoirs that provide Auckland with its water. Because of a drought last year, those levels are way down. I've been watching them slowly refill. I was hoping to see the Opanuku running high Tuesday morning, which would indicate that the reservoirs were probably also being fed by lively streams. Well, the Opanuku was definitely up. It was more like manic than lively.  And in fact, we soon discovered signs that it had been even higher during the night. 

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago. It shows the Opanuku beneath our bridge as it appears most of the time.  

Here it is at about 10 a.m. Tuesday morning.  

Jeanne is looking at the damaged walkway on the downstream side of of the bridge.  The lower boardwalk is about 1.5 meters above the current level of the water. The pigeon seems to share her concern.  

A closer look at the damage. 

Here is more damage farther downstream. What I notice is that this debris is well above the current water level,

I'd guess it might be about 2 to 2.5 meters higher than the water is now, 

A view of the water wheel on the mill.  Almost half submerged.

The view from under the bridge.  

Look at all the debris on the wire which is well above the water wheel. 

This is debris on the steps going down to the mill. That wire I showed you in the last picture is higher yet of course.  

I think it must have rained quite a bit harder after we had gone to bed and the river must have been roaring.  I think it's a wonder the boardwalk didn't suffer even more damage if that was the case.  

This is definitely a spooky picture.  You see the river below me on the left. I have left the level of the damaged boardwalk and am back on concrete. Notice the plants directly ahead of me. I'm climbing a slope here and they are above me, yet they all show evidence of having been in the flow. They are all leaning downriver.  Even more startling are the plants on the higher, right side of the sidewalk, just ahead of me.  They show signs of having been pushed over too. Holy cow! What happened here last night?  Could the river have been this high?   

 

Jeanne and I walked away from this area mystified. We must have slept through quite an event. Of course, we couldn't have seen any of it happening through the darkness, but it's even scary imagining that much power going by.  

I've done a little research since then and have been surprised. Watch for my next, very exciting episode of The Adventure of the Opanuku Steam.  -djf