On the eve of the storm, Mr Campbell listened to the weather forecast and headed out to the farm to move his stock to safety.
On the way, he almost fell victim to a freak incident.
“I was taking photos and videos of the onset of the storm when a massive branch from a fully grown tree fell out of nowhere and missed hitting me by inches. It nearly killed me.
“After that, I headed for home and at that point it was basically sitting tight and seeing how the night panned out.”
The next morning the Campbells woke up to devastation.
With power, cellphone coverage and the internet all cut off, they had no connection with the rest of the world — like most of the region.
Mr Campbell said the locals resorted to the old-fashioned way of communicating — by knocking on doors.
Soon, along with other residents, the Campbells got their machines out to start clearing the roads covered with silt and mud.
It didn’t take long for them to realise that the Hangaroa Bridge on Tiniroto Road had been taken out completely by the storm.
“The night before I was shocked to see how the river increased in volume so rapidly.
“Having experienced Bola, I remember the river coming up gradually and we had about 24 hours to watch the water rise. But this time the height and speed of the water was dangerously quick. It all happened in one night and is what made this storm worse than Bola.”
Mr Campbell said it was two days before contractors arrived to help with the clean-up.
“That’s another point of difference. Back in the ‘80s we had a bigger community and after Bola happened, we had these roadmen — basically Gisborne contractors — clear out the mess immediately.”
Another big difference was the economic situation for farmers.
Before Cyclone Bola, farmers were already “financially desperate due to changes in pricing structures and removal of subsidies”, Mr Campbell said.
“Post the ‘80s storm, the famers were left with no equity in the land and no cash in livestock. The markets were at an all-time low.
“But post-Gabrielle, we didn’t experience anything of that sort. The markets are still sound. The ballpark figure of a lamb is still $150 and has not fallen. So that’s a biggie in a good way.”
Mr Campbell’s father bought Awapapa Station in 1967. At that time there were few trees on the property.
Alex Campbell bought it from his father in 1988 and said over the years, the station has been planted with thousands of trees which have transformed it to a property rich in biodiversity and production.
The legacy of two Campbell generations has created a luscious tree canopy that covers one third of a station.
“While we are proud of the sustainable model we have created there are a few mistakes that we could have avoided,” he said.
“ What we have found after this storm is that it’s not sustainable planting pine trees on certain types of country, especially lands which are steeper.”
Mr Campbell remembers his father had advised him against pine trees which were “not ideal.”
He said the storm was probably the first checkpoint for forestry.
“As far as I can remember the forestry didn’t come in completely until after Bola. I do understand that at the moment they are getting a lot of bashing but they are not completely to blame.
“Here in Hangaroa, many farms have planted pines on steep lands, including me, and most of them have come down, with several falling into the waterways and causing havoc.”
He said his understanding was that it was the untampered forests owned by forestry — ones still standing— which gave way after the storms, contributing to the overall destruction in the East Coast region as a whole.
Although Awapapa Station suffered many slips, the overall condition of the farm was “fairly good”.
“That’s because we have planted poplars in most areas, especially on the banks of the river. There has only been erosion in areas we didn’t have planted.
“But otherwise these species are great in holding the soil together and avoiding erosion.”
The now Swiss-owned station this week became one of two Tairāwhiti farms named as finalists in the 2023 Ballance Farm Environmental Awards for the East Coast.
“ We are proud of what we do at Awapapa Station and are focused on promoting ideas that will nurture follow generations,” Mr Campbell said.
