Editorial: Hawke's Bay has so far missed worst of bad weather

Linda Hall, Assistant Editor, Hawke's Bay Today.

The last few days have seen parts of the Bay battered by heavy rain at the very worst time possible for grape growers.

However, I have faith in our winemakers — they know what they are doing and I'm sure the 2018 vintage will be delicious.

Eskdale appears to have been the worst hit with homes flooded and residents evacuated. I feel for those people who will no doubt be spending the weekend cleaning up. I hope they have plenty of support from family and friends.

To be fair we've been pretty lucky here in Hawke's Bay.

Cyclone Cook blew us around a bit in April last year but we have escaped major damage from a seemingly endless cycle of cyclones.

Cyclone Debbie dumped a month's worth of rain on Auckland in a matter of 24 hours, again we escaped its wrath.

It's really quite uncanny that it's been 30 years since Cyclone Bola devastated the region washing out the Wairoa Bridge and now we have a cyclone named Hola breathing down our neck. I really hope Hola fades away into nothing.

It also 50 years on April 10 since the ferocious storm that sank the Wahine.

I can remember the wind howling, the milk bottles blowing off the letterbox and the granny black and white pictures on television.

The sinking of ferry is still New Zealand's worst modern maritime disaster with 51 people losing their lives that day, another died after from injures weeks later and still another in 1990 from injuries sustained in the accident.

I'm sure it won't come to that next week — we want nice clear skies and warm days for all the visitors who have already started pouring in for Horse of the Year.

The A&P Showgrounds is starting to fill with people and horses. Last year they were dealt a cruel blow by the inclement weather so fingers crossed that doesn't happen again.

There's also plenty going on this weekend that would enjoy blue skies including Relay for Life, Triple Peaks and Tremain's Triathlon. I will walking in the Relay for Life — might see you there.