At Hastings Aerodrome choppers and light planes carry aid out to remote and cut off communities after Cyclone Gabrielle Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Light planes and helicopters are among the workhorses helping in the cyclone recovery effort.
They've been a lifesaver for rural communities who've been cut off because of slips and smashed bridges.
Generators, food and water, medical supplies, and even working dogs are being flown out from the aerodrome near Bridge Pa in Hastings.
Country Life reporter Sally Round was there.
Halters, wash for horses suffering from mud fever and covers are among goods arriving for animals which survived the floods Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
She spotted a pretty special chopper - an ex-US military Black Hawk - which can carry extra heavy loads.
Its pilot, David Law spared time for a chat before he took off for Te Tairāwhiti.
"Today we've already done a trip up to Tokomaru [Bay]. We filled it right up with groceries, we can take pretty much 3-tonnes internal in there, so it was a good load.
"And doesn't take us too long because we can skip along pretty quick in that thing."
Law said he was then off to drop a 2.7-tonne digger onto a site for Unison Power.
"There's a fair bit of carnage out there, it's very sad. There is just destruction everywhere.
"Hearts feel for the families out there, so it's nice to know we can support them in any way we can. And we feel like we are doing that too with what we are doing at this stage."
David Law, a pilot with Kahu NZ, is flying out heavy gear on an ex US military Black Hawk helicopter to regions hard-hit by Cyclone Gabrielle Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Hundreds if not thousands of kilometres of farm fences will need fixing in the wake of the cyclone.
Gaylene Little and her son, George Little, were also busy at the aerodrome.
Gaylene Little said a constant hum of helicopters was the new normal while working this week.
"Our next priority will be doing some work for Napier City Council around the dump sites - our [work] is mostly health and safety around public spaces at this point," she said.
George Little has been fencing for 15 years.
Fencers Gaylene Little and her son George Little have plenty of work ahead after Cyclone Gabrielle destroyed hundreds of kilometres of farm fences Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
He said everywhere he turned, there were fences that needed repairing.
"Everything we've seen so far, all we can see is how much work ahead there is, how much earthworks there is to clear before you can even get there and do the new fences."
George Little said, assuming farmers will do a lot of the work to get things functional, there would still be an endless amount of work for fencing contractors.
Access to materials was paramount, he said.
"Everyone is going to need the same stuff. Hopefully, there is a steady supply and hopefully, people won't be too greedy and take what they need to be functional while also leaving enough for their neighbour to be functional as well.
"The boundary fences onto roads, rivers, and neighbouring properties will be the most important."
He said those washed over, won't be functional as it would be more work to fix than to bulldoze and start all over again.
At the Hastings race course, donated feed is leaving as fast as it's being delivered.
Debbie Lang's up from Kāpiti Coast to give the animal welfare charity, Huha or Helping You Help Animals, a hand.
Debbie Lang is looking after some of the donated stock feed dropped off at the Hastings Racecourse in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
"It's going out as fast as it's coming in," Lang said.
She said tonnes of hay arrived mid-week from Matamata and Tauranga, just as supplies were running low.
"People who need it come in and gather it, sometimes for themselves, or for their community and neighbours.
"A lot of people who have lost everything, like whose sheds have been swept away, the problem they have is storage.
"So they can come in and get feed but there is a limit to how much they can take because they don't have anywhere they can put it."
Carolyn Press-McKenzie, of Helping You Helping Animals (HUHA) with a dog in care at the Hastings Racecourse after Cyclone Gabrielle Photo: RNZ/Sally Round
Carolyn Press-McKenzie set up the charity and explains it as an animal version of a human welfare centre - the only thing they are missing are toothbrushes.
She said in the first few days, the veterinary rescue team collected animals as it was not safe for her workers to be out there.
"So they were getting out there and getting sheep off roofs and dogs off roofs. The animals had literally been left standing high and dry waiting for someone to come back.
"When animals arrive they were completely covered in silt and flood water which can be really toxic to them especially as they lick themselves a lot."
Many animals come in, collapsed and exhausted, Press-McKenzie said. However, most only had minor issues such as flea dermatitis and allergies.
Of the 45 animals, only two kittens and five goldfish remain to be reunited.
She said the animals are treated to toys and fluffy beds. Considering all they've been through, Press-McKenzie believes they deserve it.
"But we laugh when the owners come in, some of them farm dogs, pig dogs, sitting there like princesses."
