Edgecumbe four months on: Over the moon to be home

Daniel Rangiaho and his family are thrilled to be home. Photo/Katee Shanks

Melinda and Karl Rangiaho are over the moon to be back in their Titoki St home.

But they say they couldn't have made it back without the help of friends coupled with excellent service provided by local contractors, tradies and stores.

"I do know we are one of the lucky ones," Mrs Rangiaho said. "Karl is a builder and took time off to do the bulk of the rebuild but, in saying that, we have gone hard from the moment we were able to."

She said it was important not only to get home for their son, Daniel, but also to show him they were doing all they could to move back into the family home. The only halt in work was around finding asbestos.

"Our friends have been awesome. They took over doing some of the stuff I found hard - like cleaning personal items and even getting rid of things that were beyond saving. I have to say a huge thank you to all of them for their help."

Mrs Rangiaho praised a number of local stores that, she said, went out of their way to help with quotes, measurements and prices.

"In our case it has definitely been a whole lot of people coming together to get things done. Everyone has gone out of their way to help, they've been amazing and, ultimately, the house looks better now than it did before the flood. And it is great being home."