A rural community in Hawke's Bay has received a much-needed fuel delivery to power generators and vehicles after being cut off for more than two weeks.
The rural town of Patoka, located at the base of the Kaweka Range and Kaweka Forest Park, has been isolated since heavy rain from Cyclone Gabrielle washed out road connections.
The only land access to the town is through a swollen river, which was crossed by a few service vehicles today — including a fuel tanker carrying 27 tonnes of fuel.
The sight of the tanker arriving brought joy to locals, who have been relying on rationed fuel from helicopters and boats.
Local resident Isabelle Crawshaw said the delivery was a huge relief for the town of about 600 people.
"It's quite the sight, and I think it's gonna take a massive load off a lot of farmers' mental health and well-being," she said.
"We're just doing what we can to be as self-sufficient as we possibly can within our sort of new border we've got."
The Government has announced that it will deploy six portable bridges to help reconnect towns like Patoka, but it could take months before road access is fully restored.
Transport Minister Michael Wood told 1News that restoring access to communities was a top priority in the cyclone response.
"We know how important it is economically, socially, and we will do everything that we can with the workforce that we have to make it happen," he said.
In the meantime, Patoka locals are using tough times as an opportunity to come together as a community. The town hall has become a supermarket where residents can get the essential items they need.
Local farmer Robert Poulton told 1News: "We had to kind of leave our farms and try and get this hub going and trying to do a mixture of running the farm and running this community."
SHARE ME