A wander round a flooded Waitotara River valley on June 25 provided David Webster with an odd sight - a fish up a tree.
The decent-sized brown trout was left stuck in the tree after the swollen Waitotara River dropped.
Mr Webster said it was a funny moment in a tour of devastation. The digger driver and farming contractor had headed out on foot because it was impossible for most vehicles to use the roads.
"It was hilarious," he said.
The fish was found on Waitotara Valley Road, not far from the Ngamatapouri School.