Rose Karaka and Peter Martin were woken on the night of the floods to water in their downstairs living area. They knew what they were in for as soon as the water came inside and destroyed many of their possessions.
The water came fast around midnight after they fell asleep.
Shock was the first emotion to hit them, but then their instinct to serve took over and sent them into autopilot. They knew exactly what to do and they had the resources to do it.
Ms Karaka and Mr Martin run the Hangi Pit at Springwood, which specialises in traditional Maori cooking.
Ms Karaka realised that by the time dawn came, all 51 residents in her townhouse complex would be exhausted and hungry after a night of distress and uncertainty, so they decided to cook as many meals as they could for their neighbours.
They also opened their shop to people in the neighbourhood for the night so they could sleep in their cars while having access to fresh water and electricity inside.
“We were sleeping in our cars but at least we could charge our phones and have a hot cup of tea,” she said.
“And because none of us could sleep, my partner decided he was going to cook a whole lot of hangies.
“We had 32 ready to cook, so we cooked them up, and as soon as it was daylight we went back and distributed them out.
“To us, it wasn’t a big deal, we just thought about all the kids – no lights, no toilet, no power.”
