Muriwai residents whose homes have been red-stickered are now allowed back inside the exclusion zone for quick visits to their homes.
They had just 50 minutes to grab personal items, a chance to regain possession of their most important things.
On Domain Crescent, small pieces of what used to be in homes litter the street.
Since Cyclone Gabrielle hit, access to the road has been tightly controlled - and even a month later, slips still loom above the flattened homes.
Resident Mark Watson said the aftermath has been tough for the local community.
“I know a lot of people who haven't been sleeping at night who have high levels of anxiety,” he said.
“It's really affected their mental health look; I think the best way of summing up this Muriwai community is the tears are just below the surface here; two good men tragically lost their lives.”
Today, the cordons were slightly relaxed, with families whose homes are red stickered allowed back in.
“This is purely for people to get in there and get their personal items their toys their whatever that they need, valuables, etcetera,” contractor Clint Cunningham said.
“It’s so they haven't got that worry on their minds, photo albums, you name it - they've had time to think about it.
“It's not a five-minute lolly dash; we are giving them 50 minutes inside the property to actually think about what they want to get.”
While the land has been stabilising, geotechnical experts were still waiting outside, ready to sound the alarm should anything happen.
The council says the movement of the landslide is slowing down, so they can be confident of its maximum length - still it's warning residents that new landslides on the cliffs above Muriwai could still open up.
Cunningham said that for those helping to make the area safe, it’s a massive job.
“It's just amazing the power in one night and the ongoing devastation and gravity of it, which you don't really grasp until you're here on the ground,” he said.
“You start digging someone out, and there's more behind.”
In the last couple of days, owners of white stickered homes have been given the green light to return.
Up the hill, Ethan Peachy is happy to be home and happy to be back doing chores.
But he’s still anxious about the damage should it rain again.
“I think we're more worried about if it does rain again, we will be affected,” Peachy said.
“All these other houses are red, but our house is white I'm worried about the next rain. Will it come and take the houses that are white.”
Mark Watson is in the same boat; he says he trusts the modelling, which shows he’s safe but is worried for his neighbours.
“We've dodged a bullet, but a lot haven't,” he said.
“Just don't want Muriwai to be forgotten there are still 60-something houses on this street that have been red-stickered, and it's just really important that the process continues.
"The communication is there, and everything is done to get the west coast up and running. It's a vibrant community/we're all in this together. That's really the definition of community.”
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