Repairs to a flood-damaged home in west Auckland are almost complete nearly a year on from the devastating flood that tore through Kumeu and surrounding suburbs.
One-and-a-half times the average rainfall for August fell in one day, causing widespread damage to homes and businesses.
It's meant to be the heart of the home, but it's been nothing but a construction site for the majority of the year.
"There's been days where I've just sat and cried."
Deborah Crawford's home was damaged when water swept over the road and through her property on August 31 last year.
"It was ankle-deep right through the house and of course it was soaked up into the walls," she said.
The COVID-19 lockdown, insurance processes, and building material shortages have delayed the repairs. While she's waited, Crawford's horse stables have become her home.
"I managed to empty out the horse box and set it up as a bedroom. I had a bed in the corner, table off to the side, and that's where I spent the bulk of the last year."
When Newshub visited two weeks ago, her home was almost finished, but it's been expensive.
"I would say the house repairs alone would be well over $200,000 by now."
Hers was just one of dozens of homes and businesses damaged by the floods, caused by 200 millimetres of rain that fell in Kumeu in just 14 hours.
One family rescued their horses by bringing them into their home before they were sailed to safety.
The Insurance Council of New Zealand said the west Auckland flooding event resulted in claims topping $62 million.
An independent report commissioned for the Waimoko Stream Catchment found the flooding was made worse because Auckland Council failed to keep the culverts and the creek beds clear. But the council disagrees with the finding.
"It was a one-in-100-year event. Our assets are only designed for a 10-year event. Regardless of the condition or the maintenance on those assets, it would've flooded. If they were cleared it would've only made a 3 to 4 percent difference," said Tom Mansel, head of sustainable outcomes at Auckland Council.
Instead, Mansel said it's time to have a wider conversation about flooding.
In Auckland alone, there are around 55,000 houses built on flood plains.
"This is an issue not just for Auckland Council. It's an issue for the community, council, central and local government," he said.
And it's an issue for regions all over New Zealand. Because as global warming bites, more homes will suffer the same fate as Crawford's.
