A small Tairāwhiti town's store is using IOUs as currency while the area deals with having no cash or Eftpos following Cyclone Gabrielle.
Rachael Thomas owns the Te Puia General Store, north of Tokomaru Bay. When the cyclone hit, the power went out - and it's still not back.
She's using a generator to keep the store's lights on and has opened her doors to provide locals with supplies. She hasn't received a cent.
Because there's no cash or Eftpos, locals are paying her with ledgers - she's owed around $8000.
"We've had to write everybody down on the books because, obviously, no one has cash; we had no communication with anything like Eftpos or Starlink or anything like that," Thomas said.
"We're owed about eight grand on tab, which is like, sh*, how are we gonna manage."
She said that while it’s inconvenient to have so much money waiting on a tab, her store is crucial to those in the area - it's where locals go for everything.
"We know that we're vital to the community, especially in a time like this," she said.
For Thomas, it's about giving back.
"Our community’s pretty awesome; they give to us, so it's time to give back at a time like this."
Supplies have been low in Te Puia, and while Thomas describes herself as a "doomsday prepper", she didn't have everything her family needed. Luckily she had friends and family who were able to make runs to nearby towns to help.
"I made my brother and my sister do a mercy dash to Gizzy; they should be back today with major supplies. Countdown was able to let them go in to get a few emergency supplies that we needed," she said.
"We had dog rolls come in today, which is huge; we had milk and bread yesterday in Ruatoria, and they couldn't come any further.
"My son, who recently got his licence, did his first trip; he felt pretty good bringing back the bread and the milk like a hero."
Thomas has had to improvise when it comes to water. The town's supply ran out, which means Thomas couldn't flush the toilet - giving her the idea to make a temporary long drop out of an old armchair and a hole in the ground.
She said the community spirit that developed following Gabrielle has been inspiring, despite the town's dire situation.
"Our locals are so resilient, aye; I had a big down day yesterday, I was feeling really down, and I went up to the fire station where everyone is, and they were like ', you’re alright, Rach, we got this'."
"It brings ya spirits back a little bit," she said.
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