When police knocked on Matthew and Philippa Jones' Tauranga home on Thursday night to suggest they evacuate, the couple did not think twice.
The couple and their two teenage girls live in Kulim Ave, an area they knew to be "a flood zone". So much so, their home was built on poles for heavy weather situations. Despite this, the couple chose not to risk their safety during Cyclone Cook.
"There was the potential that it could flood, they suggested having a backpack ready to go," Mr Jones said.
"We just left anyway. Rain was heavy, our girls were already staying with their grandparents. We went to join them so we were all together."
The couple were one of 40 households that self-evacuated in the Tauranga and Western Bay of Plenty area on Thursday.