Dozens of families have been left isolated after the weekend's torrential downpours triggered huge slips and shattered kilometres of one Tairāwhiti road.
1News has obtained startling drone footage which shows the extent of the destruction to Tauwhareparae Rd.
The video shows it is a cracked and ruined mess, the remnants of Tairāwhiti's latest state of emergency.
"They just look like they've crumbled and been involved in a massive earthquake. It's unbelievable the damage," Civil Defence's Greg Shelton said.
Before the weekend, heavy trucks were travelling through Tauwhareparae. Now it's impossible, leaving a number of families cut off.
"All of our accessways to Tokomaru Bay and Tologa Bay and even Gisborne, all our roads are blocked, so we can't go anywhere," farmer Paddy Allen said.
Some residents are still without power and have been forced to use generators.
"We've got enough stores for a week or so, but we've got a couple of young kids, so you try to be a bit more organised when you're living up there this year. It's been a hell of a year, really," Allen said.
The only way to get to some residents is by air.
"We're organising food drops. We just really have to get a helicopter in the air hopefully tomorrow, and that will be the only way that we can get supplies and fuel as well to these people," Shelton said.
All eyes are on the hills due to the concern of more land movement.
"This is going to be massive. As you can see, there's been a huge slip. There are concerns because everything is so sodden that there could be more movement, so our teams there will be closely watching that area.
"The huge amount of work is needed there to make sure there is a huge connection there," Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said.
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