Napier flooding: Box of ashes washes up on Pirimai driveway

Melanie Wilkins, of Allen Berry Ave, Pirimai, found a box of ashes washed up on her driveway. Photo / Supplied

A Napier woman is calling on the local community to help reunite a box of ashes that has washed up on her driveway.

Melanie Wilkins, of Allen Berry Ave, Pirimai, says she hopes a local resident may recognise the box and reclaim it.

Wilkins said she felt sick to her stomach when she spotted the box of ashes lodged against her property's fence alongside other debris on Tuesday afternoon.

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"We found it when we went out to assess the damage," she said.

"I opened it and it was full of water, so most has washed away, but there is definitely still a little bit of ashes left in it.

"I'm not meaning to offend anyone, but I would feel worse if someone was actually looking for it."

Wilkins says she hopes a relative may come forward to reclaim the box. Photo / Supplied

There is no name or label attached to the box identifying whose ashes may be inside, but the Auckland-based funeral product company Lucentt can be identified as the makers of the box.

Wilkins said she took to Facebook to try and help identify the box and return it.

"I popped it up on my on Facebook page, but it seems it has gone viral," she said.

"I feel a bit embarrassed about it now, but I just didn't know what to do."

The concerned Pirimai resident said after the first few hours she considered just throwing it out, but something stopped her.

"I just thought what if someone was looking for it," she said.

"I do worry that if someone is looking for it they would have contacted me by now, but I'll hold on to it for a few more days and see what happens."

Wilkins said she has been "exhausted" after the floods and is still without power.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand area manager Ken Cooper said 30 homes across Napier were evacuated on Monday night, with 100 suffering some form of damage.