In this feature for New Zealand Geographic, Rachel Morris writes about the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle, which devastated the North Island of New Zealand in February 2023 and left thousands of homes filled with silt. As Morris reports, cyclone survivors felt abandoned, not receiving much help from the government or aid organizations like the Red Cross. Instead, silt removal was done almost entirely by volunteers. Morris spent several months with one of these volunteer crews, who provided help to some of the region’s hardest-hit residents.
Unlike the 2011 Christchurch earthquake, which destroyed large swathes of the city, the damage from Gabrielle was intensely concentrated in a handful of communities on the outskirts of Hastings and Napier. Within a few weeks, the main urban areas had essentially returned to normal, while places like Esk Valley, Pakowhai, Omahu, Waiohiki, Puketapu, Rissington, Dartmoor and PÅrangahau remained little apocalyptic pockets, easily bypassed by those who preferred to avoid the mess. So it wasn’t surprising when, about five weeks in, the outpouring of volunteers began to ebb. (As one organiser observed, locals “wanted their weekends back”.)
It’s sweaty, strenuous work, but it was worse before the silt solidified. (“Like shovelling diarrhoea” is the most memorable description.) By now, Peni is a connoisseur of the silt’s geographical variations: in Pakowhai, it has congealed into bricks, like moist clay; in Omahu, it’s sticky mud; in Esk Valley, it floats through your fingers like fine sand.
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