Communities across Aotearoa capture Cyclone Gabrielle’s damage on social media

The full assessment of Cyclone Gabrielle’s damage has begun, as communities across New Zealand mourn the loss of people and homes.

The ex-tropical cyclone started to wreak havoc in Northland on Monday, before moving across Auckland and down into the central North Island, cutting off areas in Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne over Tuesday and Wednesday.

Kiwis all over the country have been capturing damage from the cyclone, from escaping floodwater to horses on roofs.

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One video shot in Hamilton showed trees with their roots lifted out of the ground and lying on their sides, after the area experienced strong winds.

Northland beach Ruakaka had its stairs wash away due to the force of the sea.

Another TikTok user in Napier showed their road had been completely swamped by floodwaters, and their family was being evacuated in what looked like a massive skip bin, alongside their dog and their cat who was travelling in a backpack.

Further down the North Island, Janell Dygas shared a video of the Vinegar Hill Campground in Ōhingaiti which was completely underwater.

Daniel Talbot, who runs the Facebook page Wellington Severe Weather Updates, has shared multiple posts of Gabrielle’s devastation in the Wellington and central North Island area, to keep his community informed.

He does this by sharing posts, as shown below, but also providing weather maps and weather data from official forecasters.

Talbot told Stuff he built the Facebook group with the community in mind, but also for locals to use in emergencies.

Talbot shared a photo of Bay View, in Napier, where police found a body on the shore late on Tuesday night, after Cyclone Gabrielle hammered the region.

Marie Dodds who lives in One Tree Point, Northland, was driving on Mangakahia Rd when she was met with floodwaters.

“I was trying to reach my mother’s house, as I hadn’t heard from her since the power had gone out earlier that day,” Dodds said.

The video (which is in the player at the top of the story) shows Dodds and her family attempting to drive through the flooded road, with water reaching almost the height of the car’s windows.

The water has demolished the road, as well as the fields either side of it.

Dodds luckily managed to get a hold of her mother later on Tuesday, she told Stuff.

Dodds also shared photo of the Masterton Point lookout, which had been completely destroyed, thanks to Cyclone Gabrielle.

Jay Biggins scoured around his local area of Whanagrei and Onerahi in Northland, taking photos of the damage Cyclone Gabrielle did to the area.

He captured monstrous waves on Beach Road, Onerahi, which have swallowed the beach and are smashing up against the grass bank.

Biggins also shared pictures of trees that had been lifted out of the ground and boats that had all but sunk.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Cyclone Gabrielle has dissipated, but broken communications and lack of service in vulnerable areas like Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne means the extent of the damage is yet to be revealed.

In an update from Hawke’s Bay Civil Defence on Wednesday, they said there were still large areas of the region they did not have contact with.

“Authorities still don’t have a clear picture of how badly the region has been affected,” the organisation said in a statement.