Cyclone Gabrielle: George Tawhai’s two-year rebuild in isolated valley

• Two years after Cyclone Gabrielle, George Tawhai is still living in a temporary shelter, rebuilding his life.
• Tawhai survived days without food, then weeks living in his car, after floodwaters destroyed his home.
• He aims to restore his land and secure a permanent home, despite ongoing challenges.

Two years after Cyclone Gabrielle, George Tawhai still wakes up every morning in a temporary shelter, working to rebuild his life in the quiet, isolated valley of Aropaoanui north of Napier.

In February 2023, Tawhai found himself trapped in rising floodwaters and then was forced to live in his car for weeks with no power, escape routes or food.

“The damage was extreme,” he told Hawke’s Bay Today.

“It probably took my mind off being hungry.”

George Tawhai pictured in the isolated valley of Aroapoanui, two years after Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo / Rafaella Melo

He recalls heavy rain had been forecast for that night.

“It was raining, but not as heavy as I expected it to be to flood that bad,” Tawhai said.

Around 9pm on February 13 the power went out, and by 11pm he’d gone to sleep, still unaware of what was coming.

Just after 1am, he woke up in the dark, reaching down to touch what he thought was one of his cats, only to realise it was floodwater inside his bedroom.

“I sit in my bed, and the water was up to my knees,” he said.

Tawhai focused on saving his animals.

“The cats were howling. They jumped toward me but landed in the water,” he said.

By the time he made it outside, the water had reached his waist.

With no way to leave, he waded through the floodwaters to his car, which he had parked on higher ground earlier in the day.

From inside the vehicle, he waited for daylight, listening to the sound of logs crashing through the floodwaters.

When the sun rose, the devastation became clear. The entire valley had turned into a lake, with debris and silt covering everything.

“The water came up past the house and out into the paddocks. It was everywhere,” Tawhai said.

Floodwaters swallowed Tawhai's home in Aropaoanui.

He was not alone in his struggle. Aropaoanui Rd, home to just a handful of families, was completely cut off after the storm.

Tawhai said roads were impassable, power was out for six months and there was no phone reception.

He said the valley was overlooked in the aftermath of the disaster.

“When they mapped out the areas of damage, they didn’t even know we were here,” he said.

The aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle destruction in Aropaoanui.

For days, he remained in his car. With no food and only one and a half small bottles of water, he survived in isolation, unable to reach neighbours or call for help.

When he finally made it to his house, everything was gone.

“The silt was up to the table. Nothing was salvageable,” he said.

The remains of Tawhai's house after Cyclone Gabrielle.

The days turned into weeks, and Tawhai had no choice but to stay on his land, first sleeping for a few weeks in his car, then in a tent.

He relied on helicopters dropping supplies and the neighbours who hiked through the mud to bring him water and food.

At one point he moved into a donated caravan, where he spent months eating only canned food with no running water.

“I had like a little water pool [where] the water dripped down,” he said.

“I used to go down and wash and look to see if anyone was coming, but most of the time the road was blocked, so I was able to wash in the flooded water.”

By December 2023, nearly a year after the cyclone, Tawhai was provided with a temporary house, but even that came with challenges.

The cabin lacked power and water for weeks, forcing him to continue living in the caravan.

After nearly a year of living in a makeshift shelter, Tawhai watched as a temporary home was finally set up on his land.

Two years on, Tawhai’s focus is on restoring his home, his land and his sense of normality.

“I’d like to get a bigger home here, something permanent,” he says.

“My family comes for Christmas, Easter, and different times of the year, but there’s nowhere for them to stay.”

Tawhai has settled back into a daily routine on his land, though life remains challenging.

His days are spent maintaining the property, fixing fences, and helping his neighbours with farm work.

Tawhai rides his quad bike across his land in the isolated valley of Aropaoanui.

Evenings are quieter, often spent watching TV – at least when the power is working, as frequent outages remain an issue in the valley.

Despite the difficulties, Tawhai remains committed to staying and rebuilding his home, even as he seeks a Government buyout.

“I farm here. I’ve got cattle and sheep,” he said.

“This land is part of me.”