Surviving two cyclones

Alex Campbell has lived and farmed at Hangaroa for a long time. He survived the fury of Cyclone Bola in 1988 and Cyclone Gabrielle this year. He talked to Avneesh Vincent about the differences between the two storms, the impact of forestry in the area and farm practices.

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Tairāwhiti was pulled into a state of national emergency as Cyclone Gabrielle hit the region on February 14.

With hundreds displaced and flooding destroying homes, bridges and causing road closures, Hangaroa was no exception.

“What happened to Hangaroa is quite catastrophic. It made Cyclone Bola look like a boy,” Alex Campbell said.

Together with his wife Megen, he manages the Awapapa Station which is a 441ha sheep and beef property on the Tiniroto Road between Gisborne and Wairoa.

On the eve of the storm, Mr Campbell listened to the weather forecast and headed out to the farm to move his stock to safety.

On the way, he almost fell victim to a freak incident.

“I was taking photos and videos of the onset of the storm when a massive branch from a fully grown tree fell out of nowhere and missed hitting me by inches. It nearly killed me.

“After that, I headed for home and at that point it was basically sitting tight and seeing how the night panned out.”

The next morning the Campbells woke up to devastation.

With power, cellphone coverage and the internet all cut off, they had no connection with the rest of the world — like most of the region.

Mr Campbell said the locals resorted to the old-fashioned way of communicating — by knocking on doors.

Soon, along with other residents, the Campbells got their machines out to start clearing the roads covered with silt and mud.

It didn't take long for them to realise that the Hangaroa Bridge on Tiniroto Road had been taken out completely by the storm.

“The night before I was shocked to see how the river increased in volume so rapidly.

“Having experienced Bola, I remember the river coming up gradually and we had about 24 hours to watch the water rise. But this time the height and speed of the water was dangerously quick. It all happened in one night and is what made this storm worse than Bola.”

Mr Campbell said it was two days before contractors arrived to help with the clean-up.

“That's another point of difference. Back in the ‘80s we had a bigger community and after Bola happened, we had these roadmen — basically Gisborne contractors — clear out the mess immediately.”

Another big difference was the economic situation for farmers.

Before Cyclone Bola, farmers were already “financially desperate due to changes in pricing structures and removal of subsidies”, Mr Campbell said.

“Post the ‘80s storm, the famers were left with no equity in the land and no cash in livestock. The markets were at an all-time low.

“But post-Gabrielle, we didn't experience anything of that sort. The markets are still sound. The ballpark figure of a lamb is still $150 and has not fallen. So that's a biggie in a good way.”

Mr Campbell's father bought Awapapa Station in 1967. At that time there were few trees on the property.

Alex Campbell bought it from his father in 1988 and said over the years, the station has been planted with thousands of trees which have transformed it to a property rich in biodiversity and production.

The legacy of two Campbell generations has created a luscious tree canopy that covers one third of a station.

“While we are proud of the sustainable model we have created there are a few mistakes that we could have avoided,” he said.

“ What we have found after this storm is that it's not sustainable planting pine trees on certain types of country, especially lands which are steeper.”

Mr Campbell remembers his father had advised him against pine trees which were “not ideal.”

He said the storm was probably the first checkpoint for forestry.

“As far as I can remember the forestry didn't come in completely until after Bola. I do understand that at the moment they are getting a lot of bashing but they are not completely to blame.

“Here in Hangaroa, many farms have planted pines on steep lands, including me, and most of them have come down, with several falling into the waterways and causing havoc.”

Filmed and Edited by
Ben Cowper
Alex Campbell

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