Graeme Beaufoy hard at work cleaning up his flood damaged Swanson home. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
For some West Auckland residents, last month's catastrophic floods weren't the first time their homes had been affected by an extreme weather event.
In August 2021, several properties in the suburb of Swanson were badly damaged when two nearby streams burst their banks.
Back then they were told it was a one in 100 year event. But given what happened on the night of Friday 27 January, they're scared that their insurance premiums will skyrocket, and that they may never be able to sell their properties.
On Birdwood Road, near the intersection with Waimoko Glen, Karen Andrietz was on hold with the insurance company in her muddy kitchen.
Furniture drying outside Karen Andrietz flood damaged Swanson home. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
She had only recently moved back in after completing extensive repairs following the 2021 flood.
"Our anger this time is the lack of response after the last flood. The lack of really any clearing in the stream. They did send some guys over [who] dragged the trees out of the stream, chopped them up and just left them on the bank. That's all got picked up again in this one."
She wants Auckland Council to either raise the house or buy them out.
"We love it here but it's not sustainable [if] every time it rains you're freaking out that you're going to flood."
Down Waimoko Glen, First Up met Tom White outside his home at the end of the cul-de-sac.
Tom White inside his flood damaged home in Swanson. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
Tom and his partner moved into this property just six days before the flood. He said they had been assured by both Auckland Council and insurers that it wasn't at risk of flooding despite what happened in 2021.
"A 3-foot wave came down the driveway and came through the whole house," he said.
Tom White shows the level the water reached during the flood. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
"We only had enough time to grab pretty much what we could carry, and the dog swam behind us."
It was not the only hardship he and his partner have faced recently.
"My partner's from Ireland and her mum's been really poorly so we went over there to get her into hospital.
"Came back here, then my father passed away. The house we bought off the plans here the builders went into receivership and there was a two year delay. We got out of that contract by the skin of our teeth and bought this place. Then six days later we're under water," White said.
"My partner's almost 20 weeks pregnant so my main priority at the moment is trying to keep her with as little stress as possible.
"We're kipping downstairs in my mother's basement at the moment. To be honest it's a bit overwhelming."
Next door Graeme Beaufoy cleaned the mud and debris from his home.
"All the furniture was ruined, we had a new lounge suite. All the fridges, the freezer, the dishwasher. Gone. All full of water.
"In fact if you came here on Saturday there was probably 15 fridge-freezers out the front."
Swanson resident Graeme Beaufoy shows the difference in water level between the 2021 flood (orange line) and 2023 flood. Photo: RNZ / Matthew Theunissen
He was concerned about what will happen to his insurance, and the value of his property.
"I'm worried that after this one we're not going to get insurance or it's going to be really really high," he said.
"The house is not worth anything to sell now, no one's going to want to buy a house that's been flooded twice."
Like his neighbours, he'd been told that the 2021 flood had been a one in 100 year flood.
"And this one was one in 200," he said. "So does that mean next year we're going to have a one in 300? Does it just go on and on?
"We've been here 28 years and 26 of those years have been absolutely fine."
