With Thursday’s weather forecast looking inclement, this weeks Surfing for Farmers has been pushed out a day.
Organisers say the event, which is free and open to anyone over the age of 18, will still be held at Porangahau Beach but on Friday from 4pm.
Structural concerns have seen the Central Hawke’s Bay District Council restrict the Makaramu Bridge in Porangahau to light vehicles only.
Engineers inspected the bridge, which connects to Te Paerahi Beach, on Monday and found deterioration on a beam at one of the bridge joints, making it unsafe for vehicles over 3.5 tonnes.
Council Chief Executive Doug Tate said the cause of the damage is not yet known. He said Council understands that the restriction is inconvenient, however the safety of the community and those visiting the region is the number one priority.
Mr Tate said Council was investigating options and will keep the community informed over the coming days.
Hawke’s Bay’s Splash Planet is on track to have its busiest summer ever.
79,000 people have visited the attraction since it opened at the end of November last year.
With these numbers, Splash Planet is on target to better the more than 100,000 visitors in 2020/21. 59% of visitors have come from outside the region with that number made up of national and international tourists.
Last year the Hastings District Council, which owns the facility, spent $2.4 million on an upgrade.
Splash Planet will be open everyday until February 11th, and then on weekend only from February 12th until April 7th.
Fourteen groups and organisations in Central Hawke’s Bay will share in a million dollars of funding as a result of last February’s Cyclone Gabrielle.
The funding has been allocated by Te Whatu Ora and the Regional Public Service Commission to support the health and wellbeing of Hawke’s Bay communities recovering from the Cyclone.
75 groups across the region have been awarded Community Wellbeing and Hauora grants following a call for grant applications late last year