Duncan Leach is stoked to be moving back into his own home. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
A handful of property owners in the cyclone-stricken West Auckland community of Muriwai have a reason to celebrate.
On Wednesday - more than five months on from Cyclone Gabrielle - council officers changed the stickers on 11 houses, deeming some of them safe to live in once again.
Duncan Leach was one of the first residents to hear the good news. He said his reaction was more of an exhausted sigh of relief than a jump for joy.
A team of Auckland Council compliance officers visited his house for a final inspection before signing it off.
"They just wandered around and said, 'Look, everything looks fine here; we have a liaison officer who will do a report and send it to us, but he's on holiday, so don't worry about it, just move back in, and we'll get the paperwork later'."
Paperwork was something Leach had had more than enough of. He had collected three different coloured placards for his house as building assessors weighed up whether it was safe to inhabit.
In February, just days after the cyclone, he received a white sticker, indicating the house could be used without restrictions.
However, a red sticker swiftly followed, prohibiting any access.
Duncan Leach has had every possible colour of placard stuck on his property since Cyclone Gabrielle. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
Leach lived in a caravan at the Muriwai Beach Campground for a couple of weeks, before moving into a friend's place just around the corner from his cordoned-off house.
In March the red sticker was downgraded to a yellow, allowing Leach to use his home as an office - but only during daylight hours.
"We'd turn back to our accommodation like vampires as the sun started setting," he laughed.
It had been frustrating living just a stone's throw from home, but on Wednesday night, he was able to sleep in his own bed again. He counted himself lucky.
While much of Muriwai may still have to wait more than a month for geotechnical assessments, Duncan's property fell into the so-called purple zone - a small section of houses likely to be out of the way of any further slips - where work was able to progress more quickly.
However, his property was just across the road from the cliff face where slips had taken out several houses completely.
"Because I've been looking at it for so long, I'm used to it," Leach said. "When people see it for the first time, it's quite overwhelming - the height of it - but there have been so many other weather events and nothing's really moved, so I don't feel any threat."
A cordon remains at the bottom of Motutara Rd, with only residents allowed through. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
While Leach now had more certainty over his living situation, he felt for everyone else who was still in limbo. As of 28 June, there were 103 red placards and 54 yellow placards in Muriwai.
"Now it's all about trying to help them out, and these people who got the good news today will be able to free up some other rental accommodation in the area, to give other people options."
Although Leach's stickers had been removed, questions remained about whether he would be able to continue living there in the long term, with the council's property risk categories and buyout options yet to be determined.
But on Wednesday night, he was planning to put his feet up and claim this small victory.
"I haven't really got it in my head now that I can get back home," he said.
"I'll probably have a couple of wines tonight and enjoy the hopefully nice clear stars from my own house."
The view over Muriwai from Duncan Leach's balcony. Photo: Tom Taylor / RNZ
Engineering firm GHD recommended to the council late last week the 11 Muriwai properties could have their placards downgraded, meaning some residents could return to their homes.
Auckland Council manager of compliance Adrian Wilson said the wider geotechnical assessment in Muriwai was ongoing, and the council expected to receive a full report by late August.
"The findings of this report will feed into the separate process of applying the government's property risk categories to homes in Muriwai, and we're looking forward to being able to provide certainty to more homeowners when we can."
