Tanya and Richard Wilson, and daughter Kate, are relieved to have a fresh start after severe flooding on their property during major 2023 storms.
Through January 2023, half of Auckland’s average annual rainfall fell - nine times what the region typically gets for the month. Most of this fell on Auckland Anniversary Weekend.
Trapped in flood waters
During the Auckland Anniversary floods, a 10m wide river running through the Wilson’s Kaukapakapa property swelled to over 150m wide, with water rushing so fast that it took out part of the local railway line and its supporting structure.
When another stream rose up, the family became trapped on the property.
“We couldn’t get in or out or move our animals. At places it was quite deep and very fast flowing,” Richard explains.
“If it hadn’t been for our daughter’s quick thinking to move our animals to higher ground just before the rains started, they probably wouldn’t have survived. The whole experience was scary. To this day, even in a new town, we still get anxious when it rains.”
Following the floods, the land was still saturated with water, and through the cleanup, the Wilson’s suffered another setback when Richard ended up in hospital after contracting leptospirosis from the contaminated water. During this time, Cyclone Gabrielle hit, leaving Tanya at home with the animals.
“We had fantastic neighbours who came around checking on me and the animals, making sure we were safe. This support was one of the positive things we’ll always remember,” says Tanya.
“I remember lying in the hospital watching Cyclone Gabrielle unfold on TV and thinking how amazing people were, just mucking in and getting on with it,” Richard adds. “The resilience in our community and across the country was amazing.
"When it really got bad, everyone pulled together to help with diggers and anything they could offer.”
![When the bridge at the end of the shared driveway became impassable by ute, the Wilsons resorted to a dingy, a rope rail and waders.](/media/thqhjdzx/the-bridge-at-the-end-of-the-shared-drive.jpg)
When the bridge at the end of the shared driveway became impassable by ute, the Wilsons resorted to a dingy, a rope rail and waders.
An impossible situation
The Wilson’s home was perfect for them, so even after the floods they weren’t thinking of moving anywhere. But they signed up to Auckland Council’s categorisation process to understand the future risk.
“Throughout the process we carried on thinking about what we needed to do, how we manage this land going forward. And the local community got busy too with the Kaipara Moana Remediation Organisation, volunteers and experts undertaking a massive effort to try to restore the river, planting over 3,000 trees, bushes and grasses,” says Richard. We also had considerable help from Kaukapakapa River Restoration
“But the land never really recovered and was very wet all the time – like a swamp."
"We started to realise there wasn’t a way that we wouldn’t be digging ourselves out every time this happened. And we couldn’t imagine trying to sell it to anyone else, so we started feeling stuck.” Tanya explains.
![Flood waters rose fast in areas of Kaukapakapa](/media/a2qlo5xv/img_5331.jpeg)
Flood waters rose fast in areas of Kaukapakapa
A huge relief, new story
Following in-depth flooding assessments of the property, the Wilson’s received confirmation that their property was a Category 3 with an ‘intolerable risk to life from future storms’ - and they were eligible for a council buy-out.
“I just remember a huge sense of relief,” says Tanya. “We didn’t have to keep trying and fighting to make this impossible situation work. We couldn’t imagine carrying on there with the land being wet all the time, waiting for the next big storm.”
With the council buy-out of their home completed, Tanya and Richard made the big decision to pack up everything, including the animals, and move to the Wairarapa.
“A new start in a new town worked out well for us with Kate at a more independent stage in life. So, we bought some land in Wairarapa and are working on building a new home while renting nearby,” says Richard.
“There is still a lot of work to do to get the building up and running, but there’s also a sense of calm and relief. We are so grateful to be able to move on with our lives.”
Richard thanks the council recovery office for all their support. “We were very impressed with the team helping us, mainly the property advisors plus the navigators. They were advocates, supporting us throughout the process.”