Hawke's Bay couple housed 48 people, 15 dogs and chickens after cyclone

The Hawke’s Bay town of Waiohiki is located between the Ngarororo and Tūtaekurī Rivers.

A week ago, it was a small rural community just north of Hastings.

Today it’s known as ‘Waiohiki Island’, surrounded by floodwaters, solidified silt, and bodies of decaying animals.

Resident Gabriella Henderson says it’s like something straight out of a movie.

She and her husband Bill are being hailed as heroes in their small-town community.

They took in 48 people as Cyclone Gabrielle laid waste to their region.

Against all odds, the Henderson house came off unscathed.

The same can’t be said for most of their family, friends, and neighbours who have lost their homes, some of which were built by their grandparents.

“One of the houses up on the main road was built in the 1930s and it's been in their family for generations,” says Gabriella.

“They had a blessing for the house because it’s being demolished today and all their whānau were holding on to the side of the house... [emotional] and they were all sobbing, crying, whaling. It was unbelievably sad.”

But Gabriella says their luck could have meant the difference between life and death for those people who took refuge in their home the morning Gabrielle made touchdown in Hawke’s Bay.

“If we weren’t here on higher ground, I don’t know what would have happened to those people, we would have had a loss of life,” says Gabriella.

Gabriella says Tuesday February 14 was anything but romantic, it was apocalyptic.

That morning she had received several calls from her daughter Tina around 5am.

“My daughter was screaming at me to look out the window. So, we jumped out and saw a raging torrent, which realised was the river completely redirected, flowing beneath our fence.”

If seeing it wasn’t scary enough, Gabriella says the sound was even more terrifying.

“The loudest roar ever, it was such a torrent, carrying away huge containers, houses, cars.

Gabriella and husband Bill kicked into action and before she knew it, he was over the fence attempting to save anyone he could to bring them to higher ground.

Meanwhile a few houses down, daughter Tina was attempting to do the same.

Tina says she was initially alerted to the severity of the situation after her husband left at quarter to five.

“He pulled up to the Waiohiki Bridge and got word the Puketapu Bridge had gone. The bridge was starting to sway, and the water had already started overlapping,” says Tina.

“He rang me and yelled get up and evacuate as many of the whānau as you can.”

Tina got in her car to wake up one of her cousins down the road, but by the time she had U-turned back, floodwaters had swallowed the road.

“It burst through the houses and took me out in my car. I had a few minutes to bail from my vehicle, five minutes later it was completely submerged.”

She says she knew just how critical time would be for her own survival.

“The water was coming so fast and coming through and watching everything wash away, it was horrific,” she says.

Tina, along with 47 others, made their way to the Henderson home that morning.

“The people were traumatised and everyone was huddling up with their children. They were all shocked, we all were,” says Henderson.

Within hours, they had setup a kitchen in the garage, a faux civil defence group to monitor the risk, and a logbook to keep track of everyone there, including chickens and 15 dogs.

Tina jokes it’s probably the only thing her mum may have thought twice about.

“My mum is not a big dog lover, and most of us all have dogs so on that first day there would have been 15 dogs around my parents’ house. I was like mum are you coping with this?”

But that was a question that needed no answer.

“My dad is the most humble, caring, loving man. He is all about whānau and so is my mum. And of course, they would have opened their doors, there would have been not a word of doubt,” says Tina.

Ten people are still taking refuge in the Henderson home.

Gabriella says providing housing is the least they can do at a time like this.

“In life you get chances sometimes to be the light, and I feel like this has been our opportunity and we feel very grateful to have been able to.

“We’re trying to find homes to relocate those who are left with us. But honestly, we’ve said to them not to stress about it, we have plenty of room.”

Around 160 Waiohiki residents have sought refuge at the Waiohiki Marae.

The town is still without power with many running on generators or cooking off camping gas stoves and barbeques.

The Defence Force has been flying in supplies, including clean water and food.

But communication remains limited.

While there’s an air of sadness and heartbreak for the many families who have lost their homes in the township, Gabriella says there’s still a sense of optimism too.

“We will rebuild, we will be fine. Not one person has moaned or groaned, it astounds me, they’re just all about patting each other on the back,” she says.

“People here laugh all the time. They say ‘what can we do about it? Nothing. So, what can we do? We can keep each other happy’, and that’s what they do.”

Her daughter agrees Waiohiki will be made beautiful once again.

And she’s already thinking of a town re-brand.

“There is much positivity out there, so much so, we’re calling ourselves Waiohiki Island.”