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Story: Floods

Broken stopbank, Whirikino

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A road runs through flood waters with a broken stopbank on either side.

Swift-moving flood waters overwhelmed bridges and stopbanks across the Manawatū region in February 2004. This dramatic photograph taken at Whirikino, south of Foxton, shows the Manawatū River sweeping over a broken stopbank. The level of the river was so high that there was bound to be an overflow somewhere. However, the road remained above the water level.

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Horowhenua District Council

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How to cite this page

Eileen McSaveney, Floods – Flood control, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/4903/broken-stopbank-whirikino (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Eileen McSaveney, published 2 March 2009, updated 1 February 2024.