Documentary Pakowhai post cyclone Gabrielle Feb 2023 - image heavy

I had been hoping to go over to Pakowhai, about 15 minutes drive from where I live, to take photos of the Brookfields bridge, which was partly washed away during the cyclone. Many people are blaming the slash which is left behind after forestry harvesting of trees. It has been really upsetting to see first hand, people's homes written off, and the devastation of their livelihoods. I didn't take photos of the written off homes, as it seemed a violation of their privacy. As it is, I ran out of battery, and missed a shot of huge logs! Maybe tomorrow after work. I felt very tearful while processing these .....


Apple and onions in the drain - literally and figuratively! The approach to the bridge ahead.

P2250300 Apples and onions approach to Brookfields bridge.jpg
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And the other side ....
P2250301 Apples on approach to Brookfields bridge.jpg
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P2250302 Mainly apples in the drain.jpg
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Just one log

P2250304 Log at entrance to bridge.jpg
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Look how high up the stop bank the apples and onions are.

P2250306 Mainly apples and debris on and near stopbank.jpg
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Just a peek at the slash behind the bridge. Visual access difficult.

P2250310 Slash.jpg
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Silt covered orchard .....

P2250311 Silt covered apples.jpg
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The bridge with a whole missing section, You can see some slash behind it .... I don't know whether the missing section was cleared away, or washed away.

P2250313 Brookfields bridge and slash.jpg
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P2250314 Surface water.jpg
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Silt covered maize
P2250316 Silt covered maize surface water.jpg
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A container deposited on the stop bank
P2250318 Container bins apples.jpg
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Look at the size of those logs!

P2250322 More logs apples debris.jpg
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The remaining images show more apples, onions, logs, and debris strewn along the stop bank. Just heart breaking scenes.

P2250319 Log debris silt.jpg
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P2250324 Logs bins other debris.jpg
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This ball in amongst the wreckage seemed very poignant ....

P2250327 Apples ball and bins poignant.jpg
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and the big gap in the bridge. Unfortunately it was late afternoon and I was shooting into the sun .....

P2250328 Brookfields bridge collapsed.jpg
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As I walked back to my car a couple of young lads walked off the bridge. They were covered in silt and mud, so I said I hoped they were going to have a good shower. They had driven from Palmerston North, 2 to 2/12 hours drive away, to help with the clean up. There has been a lot of this happening.
 

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  • P2250322 More logs apples debris.jpg
    P2250322 More logs apples debris.jpg
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I had been hoping to go over to Pakowhai, about 15 minutes drive from where I live, to take photos of the Brookfields bridge, which was partly washed away during the cyclone. Many people are blaming the slash which is left behind after forestry harvesting of trees. It has been really upsetting to see first hand, people's homes written off, and the devastation of their livelihoods. I didn't take photos of the written off homes, as it seemed a violation of their privacy. As it is, I ran out of battery, and missed a shot of huge logs! Maybe tomorrow after work. I felt very tearful while processing these .....


Apple and onions in the drain - literally and figuratively! The approach to the bridge ahead.

View attachment 368579


And the other side ....View attachment 368581


View attachment 368583


Just one log

View attachment 368584


Look how high up the stop bank the apples and onions are.

View attachment 368585



Just a peek at the slash behind the bridge. Visual access difficult.

View attachment 368586





Silt covered orchard .....

View attachment 368587


The bridge with a whole missing section, You can see some slash behind it .... I don't know whether the missing section was cleared away, or washed away.

View attachment 368588

View attachment 368590




Silt covered maize
View attachment 368591


A container deposited on the stop bank
View attachment 368592


Look at the size of those logs!

View attachment 368593


The remaining images show more apples, onions, logs, and debris strewn along the stop bank. Just heart breaking scenes.

View attachment 368595



View attachment 368596


This ball in amongst the wreckage seemed very poignant ....

View attachment 368597


and the big gap in the bridge. Unfortunately it was late afternoon and I was shooting into the sun .....

View attachment 368598





As I walked back to my car a couple of young lads walked off the bridge. They were covered in silt and mud, so I said I hoped they were going to have a good shower. They had driven from Palmerston North, 2 to 2/12 hours drive away, to help with the clean up. There has been a lot of this happening.
Thanks for posting, Rose. I lived in Pakowhai for about 6 months. Hopefully, we all learn the lessons. It's the same issue in Auckland, many just want to leave. I haven't yet seen the latest devastation, though.
 
Thanks for posting those Rose. It is sad to see so much devastation. I wonder how long the recovery will take.

I think it's going to be years ..... I just can't imagine how the people affected are coping. This was one of the worst affected areas, with people having to be rescued from their roofs. What I have posted is just the tip of the iceberg, as I couldn't bear to take photos of people's houses etc. There will be ongoing effects as well, as this area, and Esk Valley are major food producing areas, and apparently lots of bees have also been lost. Our so important pollinators ....
 
Thanks for posting, Rose. I lived in Pakowhai for about 6 months. Hopefully, we all learn the lessons. It's the same issue in Auckland, many just want to leave. I haven't yet seen the latest devastation, though.

Auckland, or parts of it, have taken a real hammering the last few months. I haven't read it yet, but there's an article in the local paper about the history of flooding in Esk Valley.
I think there's many examples in NZ where we haven't learned the lessons .... the greed of the overseas conglomerates that buy our food producing land for pines, must be stopped as well. The slash has caused such damage over a period of years now - poor old Tologa Bay, and now Hawkes Bay and greater Tairawhiti.
 
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