Standing out in the cold manning flood cordons in the middle of the night wasn't exactly an enjoyable job for many during last month's weather bomb.
But "fantastic" Wanganui residents bringing out hot food and drinks to cordon guards made it a little easier, police say.
"You're standing out there, you're shivering, you're cold, you're moving around and you can't move too far from your location ... it's nice to talk to a friendly face," Senior Sergeant Andrew McDonald said on Wednesday.
"It was just remarkable how many different people came out to support us."
For the entire two weeks while cordons were up in places around the city, people would regularly come out and bring cups of coffee, soup, or warm muffins and scones to the personnel on guard duty.