Checking in

[Weka]

And it’s back to rain here today.
It was so lovely to see the sun yesterday though.
The east cape has been absolutely devastated, and fears the death toll will rise once they manage to get in contact with all communities. Navy boat is on its way with a water purification plant, food and medicine. Only way in at the moment is by air, all roads and rail are cut off.
People are still being rescued from roofs by helicopter.
Man were we lucky.

[Suff]

Good luck follows the prepared and the aware.

Bad luck follows the lazy.

Sometimes "Stuff" just happens.

Keep with the luck.

[Weka]

Pictures are starting to come out of the east cape. The level of destruction is astounding. They are scenes that I associate with cyclone disasters in third world countries. Not NZ. I’m starting to feel quite shell shocked about it all. Everywhere I look there are slips, fallen trees, cars that have been swept away by flood waters and now sit at odd angles on the roads. Silt. The next street over finally got power (it’s been out for a couple of days.)
Went to go for a walk today and inadvertently had to walk over 3 slips and past another 2. The biggest slip was fenced off from the other end, not the way I went. I was on top of that slip before I realised it. I walked only 4km.

[JanB]

It all looks dreadful on the news Weka, but so pleased you and your family are okay.

A friend is on her way to visit family in Auckland, which she'd booked months ago.

As she said, she expecting the worst.

[Kaz]

It does all look dreadful, Weka Take care xxx

[Weka]

On the surface Auckland is fine. It’s only when you start to really look do you see the problems. Landslides are our biggest problem. And you have to stay out of the harbours water as there are so many broken sewer pipes around the water isn’t ocean isn’t safe to swim in.
It’s north, west and south that’s really been pummelled. The coromandel peninsula protected Auckland from the worst of the easterlies, then Auckland’s West Coast took the hit from the westerlies when the winds shifted around. The suburbs Piha, Karekare, bethels and Muriwai in particular are cut off. Supplies are being helicoptered in. My neighbour had just moved to piha. Her house is up for sale at the moment. I wonder if she will move back in.