February was thought to finally bring summer. What it brought instead was more rain – and storm.
Cyclone Gabrielle came and moved over the upper North Island, bringing heavy rain and wind and a lot of flooding and slips.
Muriwai saw massive landslides with houses being destroyed,many people without homes and lost lives. Two volunteer firefighters died while rescuing people. Dave van Zwanenberg and Craig Stevens, were both tragically killed when houses toppled on top of each other, after mud and trees slid down the cliffs onto Motutara Road. They will be remembered.
Lots of roads in the area were impassable and many houses flooded.
We had no electricity for a few days and ended up cooking up a nice beef roast BBQ in the garage – it was still too wet and windy outside.
It is normal that our valley floods, typically in winter, but that it floods to such an extent for such a long time and leaves behind a layer of stinky brown mud and silt is new.
Cyclone Gabrielle weather map 
Image Courtesy of Vector 
Image Courtesy of Vector 
Image Courtesy of Vector 
Image Courtesy of Vector 
Image Courtesy of Vector Image Courtesy of Vector Image Courtesy of Vector Image Courtesy of Vector Flooded SH16 at Waimauku
Flooded paddock "Just" a branch
