Esk Valley Orchardist Malcolm Davie showing the destruction of his property, his anger with forestry slash and how to recover. Video / Mike Scott
A stranger made his way up the driveway of the Brydon Nisbet’s silt-ridden family orchard.
A forestry worker had come to offer his services, as there were no logging routes in the area active due to flooding.
He’s one of the many that have turned up to the orchard in recent days to offer services, becoming part of what is now a well-oiled machine working to save precious apples.
A couple of days ago, the orchard on Moteo Pa Rd was caked in heavy silt and littered with debris as a result of Cyclone Gabrielle.
“When we arrived after the first few days, we didn’t know where to start and there was no hope,” Nisbet said.
Brydon Nisbet (Left) stands with MP for Tukituki Anna Lorck and wife Sharon. Photo / Supplied
A glimmer of hope then came - he had received advice that as long as the crops weren’t uprooted, they were able to be saved.
“In a nutshell, if you can get the silt out from under the trees and let the roots breathe, then they will survive.”
Nisbet told a mate, put a couple of calls out and the domino effect started. Soon, people from as far away as Paeroa were turning up to help save the orchard.
Wilson Howard and Che Reti from SHP Developments were using diggers at Eskdale last week and had turned up to help move some of the heavy silt from around the roots.
“We’re getting through some dirt today. We’ve just had a whole lot of other people turn up as well,” Howard said.
“The help is immense, eh - everybody is chipping in.”
Che Reti (left) and Wilson Howard man the diggers at Brydon Nisbet's Puketapu orchard.
Nisbet said people were continuing to ring up to offer services, and even as of Tuesday the orchard was beginning to look better.
“All of a sudden it’s starting to look like it used to.”
Word of the orchard salvage reached Tukituki MP Anna Lorck, who was out on Wednesday meeting many of the volunteers.
“Brydon rang me and said, ‘I’ve made a decision. We’re going to save my orchard’.
“He gave me a really good message for growers in the region: if you can and want to save your orchard, get in there, get help and go for it.”
Lorck said that while, sadly, there are growers in the region who had lost everything, there were many local families with orchards who were working hard to salvage crops and keep production going.
“We are back in business and we are harvesting. It’s true Kiwi spirit what we are seeing here at the moment.”
