This was the beginning of a 20-year timeframe of living and enjoying, as its previous owners had called it, “The Hidden Valley”.
“We bought the property to just enjoy the beautiful place that it is, to enjoy the animals, the bird life, to go on walks, all of that kind of thing,” said Jenny.
This year saw Cyclone Hale destroy the driveway bridge to her home, while Cyclone Gabrielle continued its destructive rampage, widening rivers.
“The Mangaheia River tripled in size”, said Jenny.
Paddocks were left a sodden mud-filled mess of logs and debris. A landslide to the rear of the house was deemed high risk.
This resulted in the home being red-stickered and labelled Category 3. The June weather event caused a huge landslide on Tauwhareparae Road from the 18km mark, leaving her with zero access to the property.
“There’s no way people are getting through it,” said Jenny.
She doesn’t know if their home is still standing or even whether recent rain has caused more damage to the property or their belongings.
“We were very naïve when we bought the property. We weren’t buying it with our eyes closed, but at the same time we didn’t know what it meant living in a rural setting. You know, like if you live in the city and you have your little plot of land you know your boundaries and you know your rights and that of your neighbour, if water comes down on to your property, or whatever.
“We were just so naïve about what it meant to be surrounded by big corporates who really do what they want to do, without any consultation or consideration of a small land owner.” Jenny said.
“Because of the damage that the forestry was doing, we suggested a while ago that they purchase a part of the land as a last point of capture for logs coming down that river. Like having a massive cowcatcher to flick those logs out of that river, protect the bridges, but sadly they were not interested in that at all.
“In all of the 20 years that we’ve been there we’ve never been consulted about what’s going on — the roads, the boundaries . . .”
Uawa Civil Defence manager Greg Shelton says smaller property owners are struggling with lack of communication and representation. He carried in supplies to Jenny when she was landlocked with slips on all sides, after a local contractor was able to cut a causeway across a river. He organised the rescue helicopter to evacuate Jenny on February 15, following Cyclone Gabrielle’s impact.
Meanwhile, she has been hunkered down in a work colleague’s spare room for months now.
“I’m struggling with just not having a place. I certainly want to stress how thankful I am to my colleague and certainly living there is a positive experience, but you know it’s not the same as having your own place, especially as I was so used to living in such a peaceful and silent place.”
Remnants of the old Station that Jenny enjoyed in her backyard, like the old sheep dip and bits of old machinery, have all been washed away.
“Doonholm Station, as it was once is now going to be forgotten because it’s completely gone. You know you wonder, why did they choose to live there? They were clever about where they chose to live. It just shows that things have changed in terms of climate and land use,” she said.
Engineers inspecting the road have hinted work may not be carried out until summer, when the area has time to dry out.
Jenny now anxiously awaits further updates about the Government and council buyback scheme.
“All my insurance and stuff are totally in limbo because of course they can’t do anything until they actually complete their measurements.”
With no access to the property, that remains at a standstill.
“It still is a beautiful place, it’s just changed. Even though it’s come to an end in three blows, I will never regret being able to live there, it’s been a magical experience.” said Jenny.
The Gisborne District Council website has information of dates and locations of community hui and drop-in centres for affected residents to make use of. Up to date information on road progress and recovery can also be accessed on the website.
