Watch: One Hawkes Bay woman's anguish over the horses taken in Cyclone Gabrielle
As the water subsides and the fields of silt are slowly scraped away, a trauma beyond losing homes and livelihoods has also surfaced.
The animal death toll from Cyclone Gabrielle is still to be quantified, but some estimate it will be in the thousands.
Stories have emerged of heroic efforts to save beloved horses and pets, some successful, others heartbreaking.
Before the cyclone, Bonnie Hughes had the dream life. The teacher and equestrian coach lived on her 1.8 hectare Esk Valley property with her partner and son and their menagerie of animals.
Goats, chickens, sheep and her beloved horses all grazed in the well managed and fenced paddocks with its border of lime trees. People driving past on their way out of Napier would grab a bag of the fruit and drop $6 in the honesty box.
They’d owned the property for around three years and were just starting to get it set up the way they wanted.
It was idyllic. Now she calls it “death valley”.
All 50 of her chickens, her two goats, both rams and one of her three dogs died. Her miniature pony Ruby’s body was found under the lime trees and her Clydesdale, Clifford, was found alive but died as they tried to dig him out of the mud and silt.
It could have been much worse. In an interview with Newsroom at her devastated property, Hughes describes almost losing her partner after he tried to save the horses.
“When he turned around, the water had gone from hip high to chest and he only just managed to grab a tree and pull his way back.
“We tried for about 10 minutes to find ropes to lead [mare] Ametrine and her foal Frankie out of the stable but had nowhere to put them. The water was like Huka Falls coming through our property I couldn't even move through it.”
When the stable door broke open with the force of the water, the mare and foal got out. “We could hear Ametrine screaming as baby Frankie was getting swept away under the water.”
All Hughes wants now is to find her mare and foal so she can have some closure. They could be under the silt, or swept away down the river. “Whether she’s alive or deceased, I just would like to know.”
She says the cyclone has “taken everything we had and loved.”
If there is some light, it is the kindness and compassion of her neighbours and community. Locals Vikki and Brendan Berkett have taken Hughes and her family in and have been looking after them “right from the start of this mess.”
“They are doing amazing things in our community clearing roads and homes, absolutely amazing people.”
It’s just one day at a time right now, but there is one thing Hughes knows for sure – they won’t be returning to Esk Valley.
“Hopefully the council deems the valley unliveable, because it’s now death valley to us.”
* Video interview by Aaron Smale and Baz Platt.
