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Flooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.
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DescriptionMawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988. The town was flooded again in September that year..Date of Photo1988Map[1] ContributorChris Burles
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Location (city or town)GreymouthLandmark (Place)Mawhera QuayEventFlooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.
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Category Tagflood
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Date Created20th November 2020CommentsDonald Nicholas
Two Hundred Year floods in one year. We were there.
Nikki Davies
I remember this
Bernie Bell
That is unbelievable and x2 in one year.
Helen Joan Forrest
And I was trying to forget that year
Kieran Ray
I swear that’s the year it rained for like 8 months non stop
Craig Benbow
Yep Kieran. It blew 90 days in a row norwest in Oxford that year. Bloody awful and the water on the coast unbelievable!
Chip Robinson
And we had a business in town and the floodwaters were over my counter when we were taken out by jet boat and I can still see fridges,seats and other heavy stuff gushing down Albert St as we were getting into the jet boat
Arthur Bass
Then Barry Dallas had the vision to build the flood wall.
Geoffrey King
Arthur Bass Really Arthur, Barry Dallas stood by said it was grade 3 flood, stood around and did nothing and watched the town fill up. The most incompetent Mayor the town has ever had!
Paulina Tulloch
I left the coast that year, thank goodness. Looking at that I’m pleased I did. Awful and sad. Glad it doesn’t happen anymore
Heather Newby
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https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/28716
Flooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.
WESTCOAST.RECOLLECT.CO.NZ
Flooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.
Flooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.
Ed Dando
Geeeez the Grey is massive
Moni Cassandra
Amy Jensen
Crazy ! 5 years before we were born lol
Russell Fairhall
I was working at Honda cars then , can remember standing on the wharf while the water was coming over then been told to leave town ..scary to think of it now ... years later I was in business in town just down from chips Robinson, there were marks on the walls to show the height of the floods . Jill Fairhall
Quentin Mc
Ashworth Rachel
Fiona Bisphan
That was so scary.
Brian Gus Heveldt
Our Rugby Club The Greymouth Marist Rugby Football Club,had The Indoor Cricket Centre in the Old Westcoast Motor Body Building,and we had Aproximately six feet of water in the Building In the first Flood and Aproximately a similar amount of water the the Second Time.
Tough Times.
Graeme Halliday
Dam I would've been 7years of age
Vicki Molloy
Omg how scary is that
Tom Egan
Just started working at the brewery then my main memory was of all the empty kegs floating around inside the brewery the day before they were neatly stacked up ready to be filled.
Tony Ring
The flood in 76 seems to be forgotten.....
Greg Hine
Oh how I remember that!
Raewyn Stephens
Greg Hine me tooIrene Cook
wow big floods.
Ange Hynes
Remember this well
Steve Batey
My gradparents where in the bottom of Preston Road, near the racetrack. we knew the river was rising and would come over, we, parked higher up, and walked in to lift carpets and stack all furniture 2 beer crates high, but this flood was higher and still damaged much stuff.
PaulAnthony Teens
Hey Gus ya should have started water polo
Kevin Mead
At that level the water closed the road on Smith St around the Shell Shop.
Had to park the car on Alexander Terrace and walk home to Cobden.
I remember that exact scene from the bridge while walking home.
Scary stuff
Stuart McMillan
Looks bad
Ken Campbell
BBQ weather on the coast
Kyle Webster
I'm sure I was there for both of them
Jillene Magee
Scary stuff, that photo shows just how full that river was.
Ann Knipe
It definitely was a memorable 4 months. Nobody expected two big damaging floods in such a short space of time.
Gaye Ruru
Just as well we moved out of Greymouth in 1984!!!
Annemarie Harris
Big flood that year from memory too.
Bernie Bell
How does town recover from those floods Brian Gus Heveldt.
Annemarie Harris
When I worked at Radio Scenicland they were boardcasting though out. They didnt leave the building. The only way out was off the roof. They showed me where the water was up to. Almost lapping at the studio door. But they keep the boardcast going. Good on them.
Rachel Carrington
Lyn Armstrong Catherine Carrington memories
Shelly Baxter
Remember that flood well.
Sandra Arnott
Yes remember this so well!we walked down the quay it was over our waists!
Sue Rapley
We moved away to Noosa heads, Australia
Vowing never to return Been back since 1990
Ron McCann
She can be a grumpy wee River at times
Teri Joseph
Endurance to the max hoorah for the Westcoast
Lynley McInroe
Remember it vividly
Brendon Pongia
Wow I do remember that
Neil Williams
We were flooded out in September of that year
Lisa Molloy
Remember that and many times before, wow
Fiona Scott
3 months of non-stop rain, very depressing time
Noeline McCaughan
West Coast rain! How it can come down, when we moved to Kumara in 1942 it started to rain and went on for 13 weeks. Everything on the 'Coast was awash, the bridge at Ahaura was under water and my Mum nearly went crazy trying to get the washing dry. With four young children including a baby I remember how she got so upset with the washing hanging on the overhead rack in the kitchen.
Sally Everitt
We were there for the May flood that year. Had Holmlea Lounge and the sheepskin shop. After we got our stock up high in the shop we had the carpet in the cafe vacuumed by a carpet cleaner and then John cooked up soup and stews and we supplied some of the other business people free, with hot food and drink. While they were cleaning up. Such a great community spirit in Greymouth back then and probably still is.
Joan Orchard
Recall the May 1988 flood. Was bad enough. The second flood in September was worse. Alan and I owned the former Hannan and Seddon legal chambers in Werita Street. The September flood entered the building about half a Metre in 1988. We used the building which was about 100 yrs old as an office for A P Orchard and Associates Ltd Insurance Assessors. We believe water had not been in the building before. We have several albums of photos of both floods.
Trevor Keith Scott
Joan Orchard Only good thing from that is you did not have to go far to get the whitebait!
Johannes Debreuk
Love the rain
Thomas Peter Mulligan
LWr factory was well flooded
Bill Garth
Where are you living now Peter?????
Thomas Peter Mulligan
Bill Garth in Auckland up till COVID worked in ch ch every second week
Carolyn Wadsworth
Remember this well first time our house - was flooded
Jim was busy helping get people out by jet boat forgot about the kids and me waist deep getting the kids out lived on motel for 10 weeks
Jane Ross
Will never forget that year. It took years to wear out the items bought at flood sales.
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Amazing great shot
Doug Griffin
Remember it well
Arthur Bass
Doug Griffin in Grey and asked about you. Apparently you now live on that other island now.
Doug Griffin
Yes we are in Palmerston North to be closer to the family
..
Brian Steele
I was here for both of the floods
Two Hundred Year floods in one year. We were there.
Nikki Davies
I remember this
Bernie Bell
That is unbelievable and x2 in one year.
Helen Joan Forrest
And I was trying to forget that year
Kieran Ray
I swear that’s the year it rained for like 8 months non stop
Craig Benbow
Yep Kieran. It blew 90 days in a row norwest in Oxford that year. Bloody awful and the water on the coast unbelievable!
Chip Robinson
And we had a business in town and the floodwaters were over my counter when we were taken out by jet boat and I can still see fridges,seats and other heavy stuff gushing down Albert St as we were getting into the jet boat
Arthur Bass
Then Barry Dallas had the vision to build the flood wall.
Geoffrey King
Arthur Bass Really Arthur, Barry Dallas stood by said it was grade 3 flood, stood around and did nothing and watched the town fill up. The most incompetent Mayor the town has ever had!
Paulina Tulloch
I left the coast that year, thank goodness. Looking at that I’m pleased I did. Awful and sad. Glad it doesn’t happen anymore
Heather Newby
badge icon
https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/28716
Flooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.
WESTCOAST.RECOLLECT.CO.NZ
Flooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.
Flooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.
Ed Dando
Geeeez the Grey is massive
Moni Cassandra
Amy Jensen
Crazy ! 5 years before we were born lol
Russell Fairhall
I was working at Honda cars then , can remember standing on the wharf while the water was coming over then been told to leave town ..scary to think of it now ... years later I was in business in town just down from chips Robinson, there were marks on the walls to show the height of the floods . Jill Fairhall
Quentin Mc
Ashworth Rachel
Fiona Bisphan
That was so scary.
Brian Gus Heveldt
Our Rugby Club The Greymouth Marist Rugby Football Club,had The Indoor Cricket Centre in the Old Westcoast Motor Body Building,and we had Aproximately six feet of water in the Building In the first Flood and Aproximately a similar amount of water the the Second Time.
Tough Times.
Graeme Halliday
Dam I would've been 7years of age
Vicki Molloy
Omg how scary is that
Tom Egan
Just started working at the brewery then my main memory was of all the empty kegs floating around inside the brewery the day before they were neatly stacked up ready to be filled.
Tony Ring
The flood in 76 seems to be forgotten.....
Greg Hine
Oh how I remember that!
Raewyn Stephens
Greg Hine me tooIrene Cook
wow big floods.
Ange Hynes
Remember this well
Steve Batey
My gradparents where in the bottom of Preston Road, near the racetrack. we knew the river was rising and would come over, we, parked higher up, and walked in to lift carpets and stack all furniture 2 beer crates high, but this flood was higher and still damaged much stuff.
PaulAnthony Teens
Hey Gus ya should have started water polo
Kevin Mead
At that level the water closed the road on Smith St around the Shell Shop.
Had to park the car on Alexander Terrace and walk home to Cobden.
I remember that exact scene from the bridge while walking home.
Scary stuff
Stuart McMillan
Looks bad
Ken Campbell
BBQ weather on the coast
Kyle Webster
I'm sure I was there for both of them
Jillene Magee
Scary stuff, that photo shows just how full that river was.
Ann Knipe
It definitely was a memorable 4 months. Nobody expected two big damaging floods in such a short space of time.
Gaye Ruru
Just as well we moved out of Greymouth in 1984!!!
Annemarie Harris
Big flood that year from memory too.
Bernie Bell
How does town recover from those floods Brian Gus Heveldt.
Annemarie Harris
When I worked at Radio Scenicland they were boardcasting though out. They didnt leave the building. The only way out was off the roof. They showed me where the water was up to. Almost lapping at the studio door. But they keep the boardcast going. Good on them.
Rachel Carrington
Lyn Armstrong Catherine Carrington memories
Shelly Baxter
Remember that flood well.
Sandra Arnott
Yes remember this so well!we walked down the quay it was over our waists!
Sue Rapley
We moved away to Noosa heads, Australia
Vowing never to return Been back since 1990
Ron McCann
She can be a grumpy wee River at times
Teri Joseph
Endurance to the max hoorah for the Westcoast
Lynley McInroe
Remember it vividly
Brendon Pongia
Wow I do remember that
Neil Williams
We were flooded out in September of that year
Lisa Molloy
Remember that and many times before, wow
Fiona Scott
3 months of non-stop rain, very depressing time
Noeline McCaughan
West Coast rain! How it can come down, when we moved to Kumara in 1942 it started to rain and went on for 13 weeks. Everything on the 'Coast was awash, the bridge at Ahaura was under water and my Mum nearly went crazy trying to get the washing dry. With four young children including a baby I remember how she got so upset with the washing hanging on the overhead rack in the kitchen.
Sally Everitt
We were there for the May flood that year. Had Holmlea Lounge and the sheepskin shop. After we got our stock up high in the shop we had the carpet in the cafe vacuumed by a carpet cleaner and then John cooked up soup and stews and we supplied some of the other business people free, with hot food and drink. While they were cleaning up. Such a great community spirit in Greymouth back then and probably still is.
Joan Orchard
Recall the May 1988 flood. Was bad enough. The second flood in September was worse. Alan and I owned the former Hannan and Seddon legal chambers in Werita Street. The September flood entered the building about half a Metre in 1988. We used the building which was about 100 yrs old as an office for A P Orchard and Associates Ltd Insurance Assessors. We believe water had not been in the building before. We have several albums of photos of both floods.
Trevor Keith Scott
Joan Orchard Only good thing from that is you did not have to go far to get the whitebait!
Johannes Debreuk
Love the rain
Thomas Peter Mulligan
LWr factory was well flooded
Bill Garth
Where are you living now Peter?????
Thomas Peter Mulligan
Bill Garth in Auckland up till COVID worked in ch ch every second week
Carolyn Wadsworth
Remember this well first time our house - was flooded
Jim was busy helping get people out by jet boat forgot about the kids and me waist deep getting the kids out lived on motel for 10 weeks
Jane Ross
Will never forget that year. It took years to wear out the items bought at flood sales.
Barbara Fitzsimmons
Amazing great shot
Doug Griffin
Remember it well
Arthur Bass
Doug Griffin in Grey and asked about you. Apparently you now live on that other island now.
Doug Griffin
Yes we are in Palmerston North to be closer to the family
..
Brian Steele
I was here for both of the floods
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West Coast New Zealand History (24th Nov 2020). Flooding - Mawhera Quay Greymouth, May 1988.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 12th Apr 2026 17:29, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/28716