Hawke's Bay

Police are renewing their appeals for sightings of a man who disappeared about the time Cyclone Gabrielle hit Hawke's Bay and the East Coast.

Forestry estates in Tai Rāwhiti and Hawke's Bay have suffered significant damage.

Residents of a rural Hawke's Bay town cheered for repair crews arriving to restore their power after more than two weeks in a blackout after Cyclone Gabrielle.

Families on a Hawke's Bay station are adjusting to their new normal as they remain cut off from the outside world and without power.

Faced with never-ending piles of silt and slash, their homes badly damaged and families traumatised, some property owners in the Esk Valley are wondering if they will ever return.

Hawke's Bay growers have pleaded with Prime Minister Chris Hipkins for more help to deal with their devastating losses from Cyclone Gabrielle.

Rural residents say they have had intruders or had property videoed; police say there's been a spike in reports of suspicious activity though not in crime figures. Audio

After what has been described as both the longest and shortest 15 days of their lives, residents of the Hawke's Bay town finally have power restored.

Hawke's Bay residents are struggling with the mental impact of relentless rains and flooding.

Wairoa's recovery from Cyclone Gabrielle has hit a setback after the latest deluge, its deputy mayor says. Audio

Inspector Matt Broderick said police impounded 42 cars in the previous week, compared to about 25 cars in a normal week.

Daryl Gilbert put his aunt and sister in a boat tethered to the roof where the rest of his whānau waited for hours above floodwaters.

The expert says homes in floodplains that are inundated regularly, or quickly, will likely keep getting struck over and over again unless expensive protections are built.

Hawke's Bay hospitality businesses are pinning their hopes on the reopening of the state highway network to return trade to some semblance of normality after Cyclone Gabrielle.