Episode Transcript
From the moment we woke our neighbours, Fiona and Paul, up on the morning of 14 February 2023 looking like drowned rats, they welcomed us into their home. Despite having no electricity or running water, or internet connectivity, they did all they could to help make us feel safe, comfortable and very content. Their fur-babies, Mickey and “the two prunes”, provided companionship, entertainment and comic relief. These four-legged pals, like us adults, were unaccustomed to having so many bodies living under the one roof – but like real troopers, we (and they) made the best of a challenging situation.
This hospitality extended to the other neighbours in Breckenridge Road whose residences sat on even higher ground. Upon learning of our plight, they banded together and provided us with much-needed clothes, bathroom essentials and footwear – you name it, we were soon kitted out and looked very presentable, if we must say so ourselves.
They also supported us with quite a few retrieval missions where we revisited our former residence then waded through water, mud and silt to retrieve whatever personal effects we could unearth. Every mission was physically demanding due to the immense suction power of knee-high water-laden silt, not to mention the recommended attire of gum boots and overalls which some retrievers (myself included) were not accustomed to wearing. Fortunately, through a highly coordinated military-like team effort, coupled with moments where tears of sadness were replaced with tears of joy, we were able to salvage from the sludge some of our clothes and shoes, as well as irreplaceable valuables from the main kitchen and living room areas. Sadly, many other items were either fully submerged or too tricky to shift safely, so remain to this day where Cyclone Gabrielle left them.
Whether these retrieval missions were performed in the morning or afternoon hours, several things remained constant: it was hot sweaty and dirty work; light was very limited; great care had to be taken at all times; the retrieved items needed to be placed somewhere out of the mud where they could then be collected. Needless to say, we made use of a lot of plastic rubbish bags and green plastic bins to place the collected items into for safe keeping.
Once Breckenridge Road had became accessible by road, the retrieved items were picked up and transported either to the drycleaners, or to a commercial yard for “spring cleaning” using a low-powered water blaster. Through this collective work (or mahi), a large portion of the retrieved items were “brought back to life” and so, could be used again. This brought us immense joy.
Our first outing to nearby Hastings – usually a 15-20 minute drive from Breckenridge Road – took place 4 or 5 days after the cyclone hit the region. We needed to stock up on provisions, including bottled water and other grocery items, as well as clean clothing. We couldn’t shop in our usual areas of Taradale or downtown Napier, as these were inaccessible from Breckenridge Road due to cyclone-damage to the roading network. Instead, we travelled to Hastings by driving through Fernhill, a journey that was memorable for all the wrong reasons. Cyclone Gabrielle had certainly left its mark – vehicles were displaced as if they’d been tossed aside like childrens’ tonka toys; silt clung around the bottom of grape vines and other crops; former residences and farms were in varying states of mass destruction; massive new-found lakes had developed in places and were being pumped dry by portable, powerful pumps operating 24/7. The devastation for several kilometres around Breckenridge Road looked like a war-zone. Frightening. Horrible. Impossible to comprehend.
As we travelled closer to Hastings though, signs of cyclone-induced devastation were soon replaced by very different scenes – that of people going about their day, seemingly without a care in the world. Or, at least, it seemed it was business as usual for many in Hastings. Shops were open, electricity was plentiful, there was running water, and wifi and mobile internet connections worked perfectly. Aligning this reality, with our current situation at Fiona and Paul’s place, still does my head in to this day. How could life be so different only 20 kilometres away? But it sure was in stark contrast. We unashamedly made the most of these utilities while running errands in Hastings. Then it was back to Breckenridge Road and our normal bucket-brigade behaviour of regularly filling buckets from a portable water tank out near the back porch so we could then “flush” the inside toilets. Or, boiling containers of water on the gas BBQ outside, or fireplace inside, so we could then wash dishes ahead of meal prep the next day. Although it was the year 2023, it sometimes felt like 1823!
Our first week of glamping with Fiona and Paul was definitely interesting – we each needed to figure out a new routine and decide who would be responsible for what, and when. Fortunately, this occurred very organically and, by playing to each others’ strengths, we were able to work like a well-oiled machine. Each morning one person would get things organised for breakfast, which involved boiling water on the BBQ for cups of tea and coffee; lunch was a DIY affair; dinner on the other hand verged on being gourmet. Despite having no running water or electricity, with cooking limited to the gas BBQ on the back porch and the cast iron plate atop a Contessa wood fire in the living room, our evening meals by candlelight in the formal dining room were Master Chef worthy! Always accompanied by an exquisite pairing of fine wine, dinner became a mini celebration - an opportunity for us to reflect on the day that was, share a memorable highlight, reminisce about the past or wonder about the future.
On reflection, our first week post-Cyclone Gabrielle started off as if we were all blind-folded together on the world’s largest roller-coaster ride. We had no idea who was on this ride with us, where we were headed, or how long the ride would last. Admittedly, we were still in shock about what had happened – but despite all odds, we were able to pull together, create new routines, support one another and function to enable 5 adults and 4 fur-babies living under the same roof to not only survive, but thrive. This quote, source unknown, sums up this experience best: “People can be at their most vulnerable, but still tenacious at the same time”.
