As Hawke's Bay reeled from the effects of Cyclone Gabrielle earlier this year, one farmer received a surprising phone call.
"I couldn't believe it," Di Murphy told Seven Sharp. "I burst into tears actually."
It all started when the Big Snow hit Canterbury in 1992. A million sheep died, and the region's farms were devastated.
"I remember being asked, would we mind donating a truck and taking a load of hay down," Hawke's Bay delivery driver Kevin Isaacson said. "Everyone around here thought it was a good idea."
Di Murphy was one of the farmers who donated — and before Isaacson left, Di's teenage daughter Claire decided to write a note in pink highlighter, to be placed among the bales.
"That's the sort of thing I'd do, write a little note," Claire said. "Makes it a bit more special, personable."
The Canterbury farmer who received the hay wants to remain anonymous.
When he picked the note up, he "just about cried", Isaacson said.
What's more, he ironed it out, kept it, and he's still got it. The note said the hay came from the Murphy family.
"We hope it helps you feed your stock and the weather improves," it read. "Good luck. Love Joe, Di and Claire Murphy."
This year, with much of Hawke's Bay underwater, that good deed came back around.
The farmer — who had never met the Murphys — called them up to offer help.
"I thought, what a lovely thing," Di said. "Somebody to ring up and say, 'are you badly affected, can we do anything, you helped us 31 years ago and we'd love to repay that'.
"I thought, fancy somebody remembering that far back."
Claire was surprised as well: "God yeah. It was really special to think that a gesture from so long ago was remembered, and appreciated.
"Farmers, no matter where they're from, they kind of speak the same language.
"What goes around comes around."
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