Cyclone Gabrielle: Stranded Hawke’s Bay residents make a run for Taupō

Damaged roads and internet cable running between Napier and Te Pōhue are causing huge issues for Hawke's Bay residents. Photo / Chorus

When members of a cut-off community along State Highway 5 arrived in Taupō, they headed straight for the nearest hardware store.

The settlement of Te Pōhue is about 25km west of Eskdale, and the road is damaged and closed on both sides of them. It is home to around 150 people.

As one of the areas worst affected by Cyclone Gabrielle, residents became trapped among the devastation due to slips, fallen trees, washed-out bridges and completely destroyed stretches of road on February 13.

With power, water and phone lines cut off, Te Pōhue effectively became an island that no one could enter or leave.

It took several days before enough of the highway was cleared for the first members of the community to drive into Taupō. Motorists require a permit to use the damaged road.

With no way to communicate with the outside world, once they arrived it wasn’t clear who they could go to for help.

The bright orange Mitre 10 Mega store at the eastern entrance to Taupō was the obvious first port of call so the group approached staff for help.

“[Mitre 10 staff] were the first people that they came across,” said store owner Craig Ladbrook.

“They were emotional, and our team were emotional too.”

“I’m not sure that they expected to get to Taupō … It’s a shock that anyone got through.”

After the initial surprise wore off, the team set to work to kit the Te Pōhue residents with the essentials.

“We put together a bunch of stuff.”

That included a generator, gas canisters and cookers and other supplies. Staff and customers in-store at the time, including Jason Maze of Maze Landscapes Limited, also generously reached into their own pockets to ensure the community was provided for.

Once the unexpected visitors were stocked up at Mitre 10, the team put them in contact with Taupō Family Services, who had been tirelessly co-ordinating food and hygiene supplies for evacuation centres in Hawke’s Bay since the extent of the emergency had become clear earlier last week.

Having already worked with Mainfreight and Hawkes Crane Hire to fill trucks of donated goods, the staff and more than 20 volunteers were well-placed to help the Te Pōhue community - who were “in dire need” said Jackie Hill, Taupō Family Services general manager.

“They were very distressed that they had not received any help.

“They forged their own way to get to us.”

The centre loaded up a van with food to tide the residents of Te Pōhue over until civil defence also began to make supply drops last week.

Hill said the community were thrilled with the help provided by Taupō locals.

“They were absolutely overwhelmed.”

In turn, Taupō Family Services staff had been stunned by the response from volunteers and donors, who had been quick with their generosity in Hawke’s Bay’s time of need.

“We’ve had so many volunteers, [it’s] unbelievable.

“The whole community has come together, it’s great.”

“We’d just like to thank our volunteers … the community is showing heaps of empathy.”

For those who still wanted to help, Taupō Family Service is putting out daily lists of required items on its Whānau Taupō Facebook page, as well as details on making monetary donations.