Grim cleanup ahead for Tolaga Bay farmer

Farmers in Tolaga Bay north of Gisborne are facing an almost unfathomable cleanup job after Cyclone Gabriel. One of them is Ray Phillips who lives on an isolated property on Wharekaka Rd Despite being nearly two kilometres from the Uawa River, about 90 hectares of his land still became covered in silt. He also faces the grim task of burying some of his cattle, at least one of which became stuck up a tree as it tried to swim to safety. Ray told his story to our producer Matthew Theunissen, beginning when civil defence teams knocked on his door the night of the cyclone.