Cyclone Gabrielle
The Te Mata House story
by Jacqueline – owner Te Mata House
Three weeks on, the destruction cyclone Gabrielle caused Hawke’s Bay, neighbouring Gisborne and the Coromandel is well known. We have heard and read so many stories of the loss of lives, homes and businesses caused by the wrath of this severe weather event. This month, we wanted to share our cyclone story and the loss of our beloved historical guest house, The Old Stables, on this raging night.
On February 14, 2023, many in Hawke’s Bay went to bed listening to rainfall and expecting cyclone Gabrielle passing through would be mild. The region had only received an orange warning for rainfall, so expectations of the cyclone’s severity were minimal.
All in all, I still thought some preparation was needed. I spent the weekend cleaning out the horse stables so the horses could have a peaceful and dry evening when the cyclone hit. I fluffed up Delilah, the pig’s, bed and ensured the sheep and alpacas had plenty of shelter. My son, Zach and I put the umbrellas down at the poolside and closed the awnings.
I retrieved torches from the camping box, and that was us prepared! Our guests in both cottages had left and had safely made it back to Auckland, so I was feeling pretty relaxed going into that dreaded night.
At 2 am I woke from a horrendous dream where one of the five giant redwoods lining the driveway entrance had fallen on the horse stables and I was frantically there, struggling to get my horse out from underneath the trunk. It’s funny how some have a sixth sense. A feeling swept over me to get up, get my clothes ready and gather the torches, which I did.
I didn’t sleep a lot after that. The wind was howling, and the rain was pounding. The noise was intense and hugely frightening. At 5.13am the house alarm sounded. My daughter, Heidi, had found her way to my bed during the night and we both awoke startled. We quickly got up, got dressed and grabbed the torches. The alarm said ‘smoke, Cottage’ so we ran outside to check the guest house and ensure there was no fire.
The Cottage was in a perfect state, but the air was filled with an intense smell of diesel. Because of this, Heidi and I thought it was a good time to check the horses and made our way to the other side of the property. Although we had our wet weather gear on, by the time we reached the south end of the homestead, we were wet through. Heidi was terrified and clinging to my arm, fearing she’d be blown away.
The diesel smell was becoming stronger and as we passed the homestead, we understood why. It seems my sixth sense is strong, but not quite accurate. One of the five giant redwoods had fallen, but instead of hitting the horse stables, it had fallen on the historical Old Stables Guest House & Whisky Room completely destroying half of the building and narrowly missing the homestead kitchen. Bricks had fallen like dominoes and the weight of the tree had forced the Old Stables flooring to penetrate through to the underground whisky room below. The diesel tank behind the building that ran the central heating boiler had pierced and diesel had flooded the garden and surrounds. Live wires were exposed, and two other giant redwoods were on a terrifying lean.
I rang the fire emergency and within minutes they arrived. The power on the main house was cut and we were told to evacuate as the firemen were concerned about the other redwoods falling. We evacuated to the other guest cottage on site. By daybreak, power and data were out and there was no way of knowing how friends were, or how the rest of the region coped overnight. It was such a surreal feeling. Although there was no communication with the outside world, the noise of sirens and helicopters overhead told the children and I that things were bad out there. We didn’t truly know the scale of destruction across the region and other parts of New Zealand for at least three days.
Besides the mess of the Old Stables & Whisky Room, the property also endured further damage. The children and I set to work to clean up and I was so grateful for my neighbour who came down to help once he saw the destroyed building from the road (I still owe him champagne). As days passed, more help came, and the homestead filled with another family who still hadn’t had power restored in their rural dwelling.
It’s been three weeks now since cyclone Gabrielle tore through the region, yet the tree is still sitting in the homestead courtyard, the Old Stables is yet to be demolished, and I’m still waiting for an insurance assessor. So much of the region affected by flooding is still in a state that brings tears to the eyes.
Life goes on but things are not the same. The traumatic loss of lives, businesses and people’s homes have had a huge effect on people’s well-being, and it will take a long time for the region to return to the Hawke’s Bay we know.
The loss of the Old Stables guest house is minor compared to the loss across the region, but it ends the story for a building that has stood here for at least 100 years. The Old Stables was exactly that, a stable for small animals. When I renovated the building in 2016, I placed the bed in the hay loft that still remained intact. The whisky room below the Old Stables is most likely the first underground cellar of Hawke’s Bay and perhaps was installed when Te Mata Estate Winery began in 1896. I am not certain what will replace the Old Stables, but the good news is that the underground Whisky Room can be saved, which is a space most loved by our Te Mata House guests.
The Cottage at Te Mata House is open for business, and we will surely inform our guests of how the work around the Old Stables & Whisky Room is progressing, so it doesn’t interfere with their stay. I look forward to welcoming our guests back to Hawke’s Bay and hope to see you soon. The region needs you! I would also like to take this opportunity to say thank you for the huge wave of empathy, generosity, and compassion Hawke’s Bay has received from all around the country. We are forever grateful.