January 27, 2023
With the weather reports calling for bad weather, we decided to cut short our Holiday on Coromandel and head back to Auckland. It was a very fortuitous decision because a few hours after we got home, a river began to flow through our back yard. Auckland was being hit by the worst flooding in its history. Fortunately, with the help of two kind neighbors, our friend Judi, dozens of towels, and some makeshift barriers, we were able to prevent most of the water from getting into most of our house. If we had not been here the whole house would have become flooded. Many in Auckland were not so fortunate with three people losing their lives and many many more losing their homes. With more heavy rain in the forecast, we are not out of the woods yet, but are hoping for the best. Here is video taken during the storm. By setting up outdoor furniture cushions as dams and sweeping furiously we were able to divert most of the thousands of gallons pouring into the back yard around the house and down the driveway.
Mal and Lauren 