Mark Owen: Waka Kotahi National Emergency Response Team spokesperson on the Coromandel being cut off in Cyclone Gabrielle - Heather du Plessis-Allan Drive

Cyclone Gabrielle has left the Coromandel completely isolated, and townships in Gisborne and Hawke's Bay are closed off.

All major arterial roads in the Coromandel are closed, leaving the region cut off from the rest of the country and floding and slips have blocked off several roads in the upper North Island.

Waka Kotahi contractors have been working flat out to clear the slips to open up the roads and restore access to communities. 

Waka Kotahi National Emergency Response Team spokesperson Mark Owen says the focus is to open up the busiest coastal roads, with State Highway 25 being a key priority.

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