A gas leak at the Waterfront Restaurant in Kaiteriteri has caused locals and tourists to evacuate while emergency services investigate.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand managed to isolate a gas leak at a restaurant in Kaiteriteri. The Waterfront Restaurant on Kaiteriteri-Sandy Bay Road was determined to be the source of the leak, which caused a nearby campground to evacuate, and several local businesses to temporarily close.
Operators of the Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve campsite said the businesses had since reopened as normal, but the restaurant remained closed.
Assistant District Commander Chris Best said one crew remains at the scene to ensure gas is completely dispersed.
"They’re expected to leave later this morning,” he said.
"Roads in the area are now reopened and people have been allowed to return to properties that were evacuated earlier today.
Best thanked the public for their cooperation and the emergency crews for working hard to ensure the area was safe.
Emergency services were first called to the area at 6:50 am on Friday morning. Residential properties in the immediate area were also evacuated. Work then began to ventilate all buildings and clear gas from drains; an exercise that took several hours.
"It’s a lovely day here, and many people would usually head to the beach at Kaiteriteri, but for today we are asking them to choose another destination while we make the area safe again," Best said earlier in the day.
The Kaiteriteri Recreation Reserve said that it would update customers as to when the Waterfront Restaurant was back operating again via its social media channels.
“A very big thank you to our Emergency Services team on the ground for handling the situation with care and professionalism and keeping everyone safe.”
Reports suggested that there were about 200 people evacuated on the beach, with heavy traffic backed up in both directions.
Kaiteriteri is a popular seaside town in the Tasman region, roughly an hour's drive from Nelson.
