While many prefer to grab a train or bus to beat the traffic, one Gisborne nurse has found a unique way to beat delays caused by Cyclone Gabrielle.
Sally Officer works at Gisborne Hospital and once had a commute of 45 minutes. After the cyclone took out a vital bridge four months ago, her usual journey time had been doubled to 90 minutes.
She called the back-up road "winding", "narrow" and "unpleasant", but what other option does she have?
Two daily kayak trips across the stream, and a regular sense of adventure — that's her answer.
"I'm not going to do three hours a day driving," she told Seven Sharp.
"No, I'm going in my boat, [I'll] whizz across the river, get in my car and go."
Sally's husband Simon said he was "not surprised" when she first proposed the idea.
"Yeah, [she's] definitely headstrong."
She also accepts that replacing the bridge is hardly a top priority in cyclone recovery repairs and replacements, as troublesome as things have been without it.
"One day, one day in the future it'll be replaced," she said.
In the meantime, Sally is waiting on another creative method of crossing the chasm.
"I'm actually hanging out for a flying fox. Engineers are on to it, I'm told."
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