They broke the clearlight roofing over the verandah to get on to the roof, then used a piece of the roofing to keep the rain off.
That was about 4am.
Forestry debris and logs were crashing into their house by that stage. A woolshed nearby was destroyed by the flood and debris.
They called for help with a cellphone but were told the ECT rescue helicopter could not get there until the weather improved sufficiently, and in daylight.
The chopper, piloted by Hamish Ramsey, with St John advanced paramedics Shane and Jackie Clapperton on board, flew over the flood-ravaged property at about 7.45am.
“Hamish hovered and put one skid down on the roof, then I jumped out and helped the man, woman and their grand-daughter into the chopper,” Mr Clapperton said.
“They were flown to Tolaga Bay and then the chopper came back for me.
“It was a pretty straightforward rescue.”
Concern little girl could have been hypothermicMr Clapperton said there had been some concern that the little girl might have been slightly hypothermic.
“She was OK though. They were wet, cold and miserable, but they were all OK.
“They certainly seemed very pleased and grateful to see us arrive.”
The grand-daughter has described it as “a cool adventure”.
Tairawhiti Civil Defence Emergency Management group controller John Clarke said the family was cared for in Tolaga Bay.
“They enjoyed a hot shower and relaxed after what would have been a traumatic time.
“They told us the floodwaters swept away their woolshed, the man’s work truck, the grandmother’s car, a digger, tractors and trailers.”
The couple thought the nearby river was receding before a great rumbling noise preceded a “heap of slash and a torrent of water” smashing into their house.
“I think it was a flash flood, possibly caused by a log jam up the Mangatokerau Gorge where the river narrows.”
Another two households in the area were affected by flooding and about 20 people self-evacuated from houses around Tolaga Bay and at Whangara.
The Herald understands two other houses in the Tolaga Bay area were damaged by floodwaters.
• Civil Defence reported this morning that river levels in the Tolaga Bay area had receded but more rain was expected today and later in the week.
State Highway 35 was open but 12 local roads remain closed.
At least 11 bridges of concern were to be assessed by engineers today.
Tolaga Bay received further dumps of heavy rain last night. The Hikuwai River, north of Tolaga Bay, while trending down, remains elevated at around 5.5m.
Six crews of roading contractors started at first light today to progressively work their way up all the affected roads in the area, some of which they were unable to reach yesterday.
Tairawhiti Roads journey manager Helen Harris said some bridges were affected by slash and some were not.
“The clean-up will take some time. We are working on how we will best clean up these bridges.
“Forestry companies are complying with our request to stay off the roads where possible. Some have offered to help remove logs damming up around bridges.”
Tairawhiti Civil Defence emergency manager Louise Bennett said the team including the council’s flood warning team would keep a close eye on developments.
“With the catchment already saturated and the Uawa and Hikuwai rivers fairly high, if we get localised rain bands coming through, the rivers could well spike quickly again.
“We feel extremely fortunate that we did not have any fatalities yesterday.”
Close to 30 properties in the Arakihi Road area are still without power.
Eastland Network was aiming to restore power today to the still-affected properties, most of which were in the Arakihi Road and Kiore Road area.
“We hope to get the power back on to all of them today, if we can get road access to the area,” said network general manager Brent Stewart.
The roads that remained closed this morning were Paroa, Mangatokerau, Pa, Waiomoko, Arakihi, Kiore, Anaura Bay, Kaiaua, Waihau Bay, Glenroy, Tauwhareparae and Takapau roads.
“Mangatokerau and Paroa roads will not be reopened until later tomorrow at the earliest,” said Helen Harris.
Tolaga Bay Area School was open today but many children from outlying areas were not able to attend.
The NZTA and Gisborne District Council websites will update road closures.
