The seaside community of Hapuku is still struggling after the Kaikoura wildfires which destroyed 33 buildings and over 200 hectares of land over six-months ago.
But this weekend, help arrived when over 100 members of the University of Canterbury student volunteer army set up camp and got to work on the fire damaged land.
Their first stop was Richard Allan's place, which overlooks the sea. All which remains of his home is a pile of broken concrete, twisted rusting metal and charred wood. He says "I don't really focus on it too much...it's amazing how everything got so vaporised basically stuff just turned to powder, and the windows melted".
He was very lucky to get out alive, as the fire fanned by 150kmph winds closed in on him.
"The house went up and there was nothing I could do, I was sort of trapped there once the fire got going," Allan said.
The arrival of the students, to remove all of the burnt debris, was a definite boost for him.
One volunteer, Jamie Uy De Baron, said: "If I put myself in his shoes I would just hate to be alone in that situation... Whatever we can do we'll do it for him."
Another volunteer, Hayden Watson, said: "It's definitely nice and I think it's why everyone likes being part of the Student Volunteer Army helping those in need and Richard seems like he's had a bit of a rough time so its pretty awesome to be able to come up here and support him."
They haven't just been removing waste, they've also been planting hundreds of native plants, including 750 manuka trees. Of the volunteer work, Allan said "getting some natives in and getting it back to the way it was will be great".
Up the road, at a neighbour's place that was hit hard too, the students were helping paint fences damaged in the fire, and splitting wood from massive trees that had to be brought down due to fire damaged.
The property owner's son-in-law Josh Osikai is very grateful for the help. He says "It's been pretty hard getting all this to this stage just by ourselves and to just have all these hands come in makes it so much easier eh".
Over the fence was another blackened shell of a home.
Flynn Turfrey-Rowe, another volunteer, said: "It really hits hard we're helping people whose lives have been destroyed, almost just seeing that makes it all the more fulfilling."
Allan said he was grateful for the help he's had from the Kaikoura community and the Mayoral relief fund, but there still have been some very hard days. He said, "The chimney sweeper guy called me the other day and asked if I want my chimney done, which sort of brought it home and I said I don't have a house any more."
He added having all of the students on his property is good timing, as he's hoping to have the rubble of his home removed in the next week.
"It's amazing they've come to help, we've just been chipping away on our own".
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