Napier couple Derek and Lynette say they are "forever indebted" to their neighbour Max Robertson after he rescued them during Cyclone Gabrielle.
The cyclone tore through the couple's home in the Esk Valley, leaving Derek clinging to the guttering and Lynette stuck floating in a paddock, caught in horticulture netting.
Robertson managed to help Derek onto the roof but couldn't see Lynette, only hear her.
"That was pretty hard having him on the roof with his wife screaming."
"I won't forget that scream, that's for sure. I just thought to myself, we've got to help her. We've got to help her.
"It was pitch black at the time and gale force winds, pissing down with rain," Robertson said.
After a long, anxious night, Robertson spotted a hand.
"Every time I yelled out, she put her hand up, it started getting slower and slower, and that's when I thought 'yep, got to go'".
He eventually found Lyentte, gave her his clothes, and carried her to safety.
"She said to me, 'I owe you a beer,'" Robertson laughed.
Watch the full story in this week's Good Sorts above.
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