The water sat at the Karamu Golf Club for days, following Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / NZME
The cafe - and the Karamu Golf Club that surrounds it - were severely impacted by flooding in February.
Sarah and Johnny Duncan paid it forward on Thursday night.
The owners of the No5 Cafe & Larder officially reopen their cyclone-hit premises on Saturday.
The cafe - and the Karamu Golf Club that surround it - were severely impacted by flooding in February.
The Duncans have grand plans to celebrate being back in business over the weekend, but they had a few people to thank first.
Namely, the more than 100 people who turned up unannounced to aid them in their hour of need.
The cafe sat in 1.5-metres of water for days, following the cyclone. It was only a week later, when the water had subsided sufficiently to assess the damage, that the Duncans realised what they were dealing with.
It was the kind of mess that only an army of people could clean up and, unexpectedly, that’s about how many turned up.
“That Tuesday after the cyclone, we expected a small group of friends and family to help out with the clean-up,’’ Johnny said.
“We were blown away when more than 50 volunteers arrived, many of them members of the community we didn’t know, who simply turned up wanting to help.
“Members of the Sikh community arrived with 50 pizzas to help feed the volunteers. Volunteers from Waipatu Marae arrived with water for the team, complete strangers were dropping off home baking.
“That Tuesday really gave us a huge amount of momentum and we wouldn’t be where we are today without all that help.’’
It didn’t end there. Cape Kidnappers provided staff to clear and revive the golf course’s greens, the Hastings Golf Club gave machinery and various members of the public kept turning up to lend a hand.
Cafe staff also turned their hand to jobs of all sorts and now, seven months later, the venue is up and running again.
Hastings Mayor Sandra Hazlehurst helped the Duncans cut the ribbon on their rebuilt cafe on Thursday, while members of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra - who are in Hawke’s Bay for a fundraising concert - played music for the invited guests.
On Saturday, the cafe plays host to a variety of local bands, before a family day at the venue on Sunday where the refurbished mini golf course promises to be a real hit.
MetService says one of the first big low-pressure systems of the year is forming.