Alchemy - Part One

Cam's rescue efforts are nearly sunk at the end of episode 9. How does he resurface? ⚠️ This episode may be distressing for some listeners. Loss of life and some harrowing escapes are covered in this episode. We left Cam Taylor in deep water at the end of episode 9. Join him with Tara Taylor and Geoff Keighley for this final episode of S1 of UNDER THE WEATHER. Geoff and Cam are relentless in their efforts, rescuing nearly 200 people. Don't miss Part 2 of this incredible story as more rescues unfold and response becomes recovery. With pilot Geoff Keighley, Cam is about to embark on one of the most challenging rescues of the day – but must haul himself out of trouble first. The day and the phenomenal rescues roll on and on until it gets dark. Because of the failed comms, Tara has no way of knowing where or how Cam is. Around mid-afternoon, she receives a video from Geoff Keighley, and it takes her a few heart-stopping moments to understand what she’s seeing. The end of the day brings them back together, and their recollections of this result in a highly entertaining recap of events. There are a few wardrobe malfunctions and a lot of laughter. Geoff and Cam also have some incredible reunions with the people they’d rescued. Some of these were many months later at the Puketapu Pub. Known to locals as ‘The Puketap’, it was also flooded. Despite that, it played an integral role in community recovery. When Cam and Geoff, along with many of those they'd rescued, attend its re-opening, there are some emotionally charged reunions. As the stories and drinks flow, Cam and Geoff begin to get a true perspective of how many lives they saved - more than they'd realised. Geoff flies under the radar and gets the better of civil defence once more. Geoff Keighley - Two. Civil Defence - Zero! Cam andTara reflect on the enormous impact on Taylor Corp and the horticultural sector in general. They also reflect on the personal costs as they continue to plough through a lengthy recovery process. Tara shares some powerful reflections on life and the shifting landscape of friendships in the wake of disaster. Notes: Hayden is the usual Taylor Corp pilot and was rescuing people by jet boat when Tara reached him on the morning of Cyclone Gabrielle. Cam and Geoff aren’t 100% sure of the exact number of people they rescued. The numbers referred to in this episode of UNDER THE WEATHER are: 150 – this is the initial rescues of RSE workers from riverside accommodation blocks. 200 – their estimate of the total number of rescues (some months later) once they'd had time to process the events. If you enjoyed listening to TAKING FLIGHT PART TWO, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle. UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more: https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast Chapters 00:00 Cam is in deep water 00:45 A difficult rescue 03:50 Noah’s Ark 06:15 Back on Sudley Farm 08:10 The Puketapu Pub 09:20 Kiwi hospitality 10:20 Tara 12:00 ‘That ain’t happening buddy’ 13:50 A long day on their roof. 14:40 Cam is in a state. 19:15 Geoff’s out to lunch 20:30 Day 2 in Dartmoor 22:40 The beer fridge 23:45 No comms 26:00 Flying under the radar 28:40 Grounded 30:20 A bloody mess 32:00 Bumper to bumper 33:00 Fruitless 34:40 Limbo 36:00 Life or death 38:00 Old dogs, new tricks 38:40 A near miss for Napier 39:10 Trapped 40:10 Exit strategy 41:00 New connections and final reflections 45:10 Conclusion Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cyclonegabriellestories.nz Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cyclonegabriellestories.nz/ All Transcripts for Under the Weather are AI-generated.

A narrow escape. A chance meeting. Water rises around the chopper as Cam and Geoff take flight. ⚠️ Some content may be distressing. Listener discretion is advised. The Taylor family home is perched 12 meters above the Tutaekuri River. But by 5.30am on February 14th 2023, the river is on their doorstep and rising. There's no time for anything but escape. They're lucky to get out with their lives and their dogs. Once they're safe, Cam's thoughts turn to his RSE workers. They also live on the river. He has a chopper, but can't reach his usual pilot. In a stroke of incredible luck, another is on the scene. For Cam and Tara Taylor, Valentine's Day 2023 started with a rude awakening and a narrow escape. Staying home isn't an option, but leaving is also a huge risk. They plough through deep water, which is coursing over the local roads like rapids. They can only watch as other vehicles are swept away. When they reach the safety of their family business, Cam has one thought. Rescuing his orchard workers from the riverbanks. By air is the only way, and the skids of the chopper are almost submerged as they take flight. Tara remains on the ground and has to outrun the water for a second time that day. This is just the beginning of their day, and of an incredible story about to unfold. Cam and pilot Geoff Keighley are airborne. The extent of flooding across the region is severe and widespread. Like nothing they could have ever imagined. They rescue Cam's RSE workers, along with others, from nearby orchards. Maybe a hundred in total. They quickly lose count. The pace is relentless, and they take the door off the chopper to allow rapid loading and unloading. They later describe these rescues as the 'easy' ones. Once the RSE teams are safe, they begin to find people on their roofs. And later, in their roofs. Throughout the day, they continue to discover precarious situations where lives hang in the balance. Cam himself is in a difficult spot as part one of Taking Flight concludes. This incredible story of escape, survival and daring rescues is TBC in Taking Flight part two. If you enjoyed listening to TAKING FLIGHT PART ONE, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle. UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more: https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:10 Geoff 05:30 Cam & Tara 06:50 Taylor Corp 07:45 Before the cyclone 09:30 Escape 15:00 SOS Geoff 18:00 Right place, right time 19:20 Pre-flight 24:20 Airborne 25:00 Another narrow escape 30:20 The 'easy' rescues 33:40 Shit gets real 40:15 Traps for young players 43:40 Cam hits the roof Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cyclonegabriellestories.nz Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cyclonegabriellestories.nz/ All transcripts for Under the Weather are AI-generated.

After a deluge of impossible choices, Al is all out of options. ⚠️ This episode covers some distressing themes, including suicide and the loss of Al's dogs. Listener discretion is advised. After a stormy night, all seems well as day dawns on February 14th 2023. They've dodged a bullet, but the gun is loaded. Before long, Pakowhai is under siege as the rivers close in on the small, rural community. There's no high ground and nowhere to go. Surrounded by rising water, Al's focus is on who needs help - people and animals alike. Not all can be saved. When he takes refuge on a shipping container, Al doesn't think he will be either. Rescue comes, but the reprieve of survival is short. The long battle that follows is raw and unforgiving as he stares down the barrel of grief and loss. Join Al on this journey from heartache to healing. Originally from Shropshire in the UK, Al had immigrated nearly 30 years previously with his Kiwi partner, Ali. A dairy farmer already, he was a perfect fit for his new life in rural New Zealand. As their boys grew, so did the farms, and Al decided it was time for a change. A love of dogs and a natural affinity with our canine companions steered Al in new directions. Nearly 20 years and thousands of wagging tails later, he is widely known as 'The Dogman'. But in early 2023, a catastrophic event tore through their lives. A home, a business, a way of life, were suddenly gone. In their place, trauma, grief and uncertainty. There were no new directions. No blueprint or map. Just a silt-covered road to nowhere. Al’s first steps along this road were heavy. Despair set like concrete, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Overwhelmed and unmoored, he needed an anchor to hold him steady—an anchor to halt the drift into desperation and darkness. This is a story of Al finding his anchors. In some cases, the anchors find him. As he turns the ship around, his journey is transformed into one of resilience and redemption.

Trapped amidst the carnage, the Cave family waits as a desperate search begins. ⚠️ Some listeners may be distressed by this content. When all hope of rescue is gone, they are forced to spend the night in their flooded home. They lie awake as it slowly disintegrates around them. Their youngest daughter, Alex, is enduring her own ordeal. Undeterred by false reassurance, she embarks on a relentless search for her missing family. It is thanks to Alex that Suzanna, Neal and Sam are eventually found. Join them as they reflect on rescue, reunion and recovery. Part One ended with deathly silence and an unlikely visitor. It is only one of several enigmatic signs dotted throughout their story. As the air around them comes to life with the steady chop of helicopter blades, it appears that rescue is imminent. But no one can see them. The water recedes, exposing the wreckage beneath and exposing Neal and Sam to a 15-meter descent with nothing to cushion the fall. Once back on the ground, they find their beautiful home is unrecognisable. The remaining water, silt and overturned furniture make it almost impossible to navigate. Particularly with their Labrador Ted, who also needs to traverse the wreckage. Rescue doesn’t come and neither does sleep during a long night of frightening noises. Creaking. Dripping water. Smashing glass. The crashing of ceilings collapsing beneath them. The day that follows begins with false hope and a perilous trek through the hazardous debris of what was once their home. The 5 of them and Ted spend a long day outside waiting for a helicopter that never returns. Fortunately, thanks to Alex, help does eventually arrive. Neal, Suzanna and Sam recount their dramatic rescue and the reunion that follows. Their story then becomes one of recovery and new directions. They share some interesting new perspectives, and the conversation touches on survivor's guilt, prophetic dreams, wine and much more. Don't miss the uplifting conclusion to their story as they find triumph amidst the tragedy of Cyclone Gabrielle. If you enjoyed listening to ALCHEMY PART TWO, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle. UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more: https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast Chapters 00:00 Recap 00:35 A long way down 06:50 No time to die 08:30 A sleepless night 10:50 Day 2 12:45 A long wait 15:40 The 11th hour. 19:10 Airborne 20:00 Alex 24:50 Ground Zero 27:10 Where do you start? 31:10 The end of a dream 33:50 Alchemy 36:40 The Puketapu Bridge 37:40 New Perspectives 39:10 Global disasters and survivors guilt 41:10 Conclusion Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cyclonegabriellestories.nz Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cyclonegabriellestories.nz/ All transcripts for UNDER THE WEATHER are AI generated.

Under the cover of night, the river swells. All hopes of escape from Sudley Farm are swallowed whole. ⚠️ This episode follows a harrowing ordeal in Dartmoor and deals with loss of life. Listener discretion advised. It’s 1988 and Cyclone Bola leaves its mark on the collective memory of Hawke’s Bay and NZ. Sally and David Prins had already been farming in Dartmoor for about 15 years and remember the construction of the stop bank that followed. Completed in 1992, it was designed to withstand a1-in-100-year event. But 30 years later, it’s no match for Cyclone Gabrielle. As the rain falls, the homes dotted around Sudley Farm are on a deadly collision course with the Tutaekuri River. This is the story of the desperate ordeal that follows. In this episode, Kristin takes listeners into the heart of Dartmoor Valley, where 3 families recount their horrific experiences during Cyclone Gabrielle. We hear from Sally Prins, with her neighbours Lynn McKenna (also Sally and David’s ex-daughter-in-law) and Meg Becker. They recount their terrifying escape from rapidly rising flood-waters in the dark pre-dawn of Feb 14th 2023. As with so many others caught in the chaos that day, the only way was up. Listen to their story as they navigate the challenges of catastrophic flooding – with lives on the line and no outside help until after the worst had passed. Fearing the worst but clinging to threads of hope, most of the residents of Sudley Farm are eventually plucked from their roofs by helicopter. Their narrative also highlights the invaluable support from the local community in the absence of anything meaningful from the ‘authorities’. They revisit the importance of emergency preparedness and also offer some sound advice. It’s not only an incredible story of survival, but of courage and resilience as they endure what followed. They reflect on a lucky escape with gratitude and new perspectives. If you enjoyed listening to SUDLEY FARM, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle. UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more. https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast Chapters 00:00 Introduction 01:43 Meet Sally, Lynn and Meg. 02:52 The Calm before the storm 04:50 Waking to water. 06:10 Moving to higher ground 09:45 A 111 call. 12:36 Naomi leads the way 14:00 The water keeps coming 16:55 An exit strategy 22:30 On the roof. 31:15 Rescue 33:10 Refuge and reunion 35:40 The outside world 37:45 Disbelief 39:10 Lessons learned? 42:10 One foot in front of the other 49:05 Another reunion 51:00 Mary 52:18 Lost and found 54:00 Back on the farm…almost 55:25 Good advice 57:00 Laughter is the best medicine. 58:00 The best of friends 01:01:13 Conclusion and dedication ⚠️ Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cyclonegabriellestories.nz Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/cyclonegabriellestories.nz/ Note Since recording this episode it has been brought to my attention that there was no pre-existing stopbank along this stretch of the Tutaekuri River. So the stop bank built in the early 1990s was 'from scratch', not an upgrade of an existing structure. All transcripts for UNDER THE WEATHER are AI generated.