THE STRENGTH OF THE WAIROA COMMUNITY

Moving to Wairoa and buying their own home was a dream come true for Angela Swanson, her husband Vaughn Musil and their two sons.
Little did they know that 10 months later, Cyclone Gabrielle would rip through their Waihirere Road property.
The couple, originally from South Africa, moved to New Zealand 12 years ago, starting in Auckland and then moving to Wellington.
Travelling around the coast on holiday in January 2022 saw them drive through Wairoa, and a few months later, they bought their first home in Wairoa, directly off the internet, without setting foot on the property.
The couple both work from home, Angela an accounts administrator and Vaughn in IT. “We wanted somewhere quiet, out of the city, and because we can work from anywhere and Wairoa had cheaper houses, it suited us.”
The morning of Cyclone Gabrielle saw water flowing through the paddocks around their house with the family quickly packing up. “We were packed up within five minutes, and as we drove out, the water was already up to the bottom of the car doors.”
When they returned, they were grateful their home was relatively elevated, but the silt was still skirting board high and meant new walls, insulation, flooring, kitchen and bathroom.
“We were lucky with our insurance and started our rebuild on March 6, with the inside work completed by the end of August.”
Angela says the experience has made her like Wairoa even more, despite having gone through what they have. “We had so many offers of help and people chipping in and asking us how we were. The way the community came together has been amazing.
“Our next step is to carry on and continue getting things back to normal. We are settled now and back in our work and school routines, although we get a bit anxious when there is rain.”
Angela says the fact that flood protection is being planned is reassuring. “It’s made me feel better knowing that some type of flood protection will be put in place this time, especially knowing there hasn’t been flood mitigation after previous flooding events.”

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