Now that Gisborne is out of the unexpected chaos and back to the usual Christmas mayhem, locals are reflecting on how it all started. Made with funding from NZ On Air.
"Remembering why the power was off is two men got killed," resident Mandy Cottle says as she reflects on Gisborne's two-day power outage
It's been a traumatic few days in Gisborne, and now the power's back on, attention has turned back to the tragedy at the centre of it.
An investigation into what caused this tragic accident is currently underway.
"I didn't know them but my nephew had worked for these people and they were very nice people. He's moved down the South Island now, so he may have been in that plane if he was still there," Ms Cottle says.
It's a sentiment echoed by most as life in Gisborne gets back to normal.
"Things cooled down yesterday with the weather, sort of went cloudy and rained. It was really quite a bizarre sort of evening," Ms Cottle says.
During the powercut most businesses were unable to open and the main street was deserted.
But Benson's Auto Electrical could open and did their part to help.
"We built little boxes for people so they could charge phones, we have USB outputs that can run off a 12 volt battery," managine director Matthew Nelson Clark says.
Ms Scott says if you don't have alternative cooking methods then it is "quite hard to manage".
Although another power outage is scheduled so the line can be repaired, the whole of Gisborne will be hoping that the dramas are over, and they can get on with Christmas.
Ms Cottle's family just bought a Christmas lamb, "hopefully that's still cold because that was at the top of the freeze".
With the unexpected disasters over, Gisborne residents are welcoming the return of the Christmas rush, as life returns to normal at last.
But for the families of the two men, Christmas will never be the same.
