Tauranga family in ‘limbo’ as Egret Ave clean-up begins

A Tauranga teen battling cancer is living in a motorhome with his younger brother while his family is in “limbo”, waiting for news about their house damaged in a landslide.

Clean-up of the slip-damaged homes on Egret Ave began earlier this week.

Since the slip, Myk Gerbes, his partner Rebecca Hayes and their two sons Mikaere Gerbes, 16, and Campbell Hayes, 14, have been living with a relative.

Mikaere has stage 4 lymphoma.

“The boys are in a motorhome on the driveway.”

Gerbes said it was a huge relief to see work beginning to clear the debris and dirt but there was still a long way to go.

“We want to get a bit of closure,” Gerbes told the Bay of Plenty Times.

A landslide crashed into homes on Egret Ave in the Tauranga suburb of Maungatapu about midnight on January 28, after torrential rain hit the North Island, causing devastating floods in Auckland and landslips across the Auckland region, Waikato and the Bay of Plenty.

Twenty-four homes were evacuated due to the large slip.

Gerbes estimated the damages would cost his family $50,000.

He said he and Rebecca were staying in a room that had been used as a craft room until a few weeks ago.

The family shared a portaloo on the same property.

But Gerbes said he did not know when their situation would improve as they had yet to hear from their insurers.

“We won’t able to recover anything from the house,” Gerbes said.

“You just got to start again and we’re haemorrhaging money we don’t have.

“It’s been freaking hard.”

Gerbes said until he heard from their insurance company, the family would be in “limbo”.

Meanwhile, Mikaere has begun treatment for stage 4 lymphoma which has “riddled” his body with cancer.

“We’re trying to keep things as normal as possible,” Gerbes said.

Mikaere was working as a bricklayer and Gerbes said his employer was very understanding of Mikaere’s fatigue and other side effects as he undergoes 18 weeks of chemotherapy.

Gerbes said he hoped the repairs and clean-up on Egret Ave marked the beginning of the end to their ordeal.

“It’s a huge relief after a month of waiting for anyone to even put pen to paper,” Gerbes said.

“I saw the council staff working on [the site] yesterday. There’s quite a decent-sized hole in the bank.”

Rebecca Hayes (left), Campbell Hayes, 14, and Mikaere Gerbes, 16, on the night of the slip. Photo / Supplied

This week, a month after the devastating slip, the clean-up and restoration of Egret Ave has begun.

In a statement yesterday, Tauranga City Council said it had been working with homeowners and closely monitoring the site with a team of geotechnical professionals and surveyors and had received advice that it was now safe to progress with the removal of debris from the roadway.

Persistent bad weather and land instability of the slip area meant it had not been possible to safely carry out this work until now, the council said.

“Over the coming weeks, residents will see several contractors in the area as they carry out the clean-up works.

“Site set-up is under way and works will continue through March, weather dependent,” the statement said.

“Some heavy vehicles and machinery will be on-site during this time. Security contractors will remain in place 24/7 for the safety and protection of the properties that are currently uninhabitable.”

The boys' race cars were in the garage and have been damaged in the slip. Photo / Supplied

This may shift to an after-hours watch only once the area becomes a working site.

The council said it understood the delay in restoring road access had been frustrating for landowners and residents in the area and thanked those residents in Egret Ave and the surrounding streets that had been very accommodating during this time.

Mikaere Gerbes, 16, will be receiving 18 weeks of chemotherapy treatment for stage four lymphoma. Photo / Supplied

In the meantime, Gerbes said he and his family were trying to stay positive.

“The main thing is we’re alive, we’re okay and we’re here. There’s always people out there who are worse off than us.”

Gerbes said his heart went out to those affected by the damage of Cyclone Gabrielle in Northland, Auckland and Hawke’s Bay.

Gerbes thanked the people who had already donated more than $10,000 to their Givealittle page and the speedway community for their support.

Egret Ave resident Paul Griffin’s garage and property were damaged in the landslide but he said he could see those working to clear the site were working hard.

“We’re doing very well,” Griffin said.

“We got our vehicles out of the garage yesterday.”

One of the vehicles, which had been parked inside the garage at the time of the slip, was still driveable. The other, which had been pushed into the garage door by the landslide, still needed to be assessed.

“It needs to go to the panel beaters to see what can be done.”

Griffin said there was a lot of silt and rubbish that needed to be cleared.

“The guys doing the work have been really good.”

Griffin said he and his neighbours had planned a barbecue for the security staff who had been patrolling Egret Ave to thank them for their hard work.