Some Marlborough Sounds residents are angry and frustrated they'll have to pay a bigger share of the $230 million bill to fix storm-damaged roads.
The roads into several isolated parts of the Sounds were severely damaged by storms in 2021 and 2022.
Marlborough District Council is currently consulting on how to pay for the repairs - as the Government's paying part of the cost.
The glistening waters of the Marlborough Sounds is a peaceful paradise enjoyed by many, but its roads are an absolute mess - the storms causing catastrophic damage.
"There are just slips everywhere. There are underslips, overslips, a lot of unstable ground. There are some landslides around the whole bay where the hill has moved down the side," NZTA's Marlborough roads recovery manager Steve Murrin said.
Nearly 300 sites need major repairs, costing $229.75 million. The council's divided the area into five different zones - so ratepayers are charged based on their own local damage.
The preferred proposal is for Sounds residents to cover 29 percent of the total cost, while the rest of the Marlborough region pays 71 percent.
"What we've had to look at as a council is what is fair, and what is affordable. Because we know the cost has to be spread right across Marlborough," said Mayor Nadine Taylor.
The biggest bill is in Keneperu Sound, where the 120-kilometre road stretches from Linkwater all the way out to Titirangi and across to St Omer, costing $125.28 million to fix.
"When these roads were put in they were really just a bulldozed track," said Murrin.
There are 930 properties tucked along the road, people who've relied on vehicle access for decades. To reach them, the mayor and her council took a water taxi out to Waitaria Bay for a community meeting.
And despite the impressive spread of food and figures, some locals weren't happy with the council.
"This meeting, like all other drop-ins, are a complete shambles because you don't get answers," said resident Dave McFarlane.
Richard Stewart acknowledged the council is in a tricky situation but is worried about what the impact will be on permanent residents like himself.
"The cost of our rates is going to be considerable, probably a 75 percent increase," he said.
"If we can see something tangible for our rates it would be good," added bach owner Margaret Hammond.
And Stefan Schulz from the Keneperu Sounds Resident Association told Newshub he wanted to see better roading maintenance and sensible solutions that aren't gold-plated.
"It's debatable whether it has to be that expensive," he said.
However, the mayor said the roading fixes will be realistic. The aim is to get trucks back on the road, but there'll still be many one-way and traffic light-controlled sections.
"We're doing what we can with the money that we've got, but I understand it's never enough," said Taylor.
It's been especially tough for businesses that rely on the road for essential services. Braden Moleta's family has been farming at the very end of Titirangi Road since the 70s.
"Without the road we won't be able to succeed as a business, it's not sustainable," said Moleta.
Farmers are having to pay for barges to transport stock and fertiliser, and while there are some subsidies available, he said the cost is just too much to absorb.
"There's frustration, despair even. It's been going on a long time now and we just want something secure, and black and white on paper saying we are going to get our road back," he said.
Something fellow farmer Kristen Gerard also wants to see, as they're hemorrhaging money using barges.
"We are bleeding, it's getting harder and harder. Everything revolves around the road and the costs are just astronomical," Gerard said.
She wants assurances that trucks will be able to use the road once it's fixed but fears the council doesn't see the farmers as viable entities anymore.
"It feels like they look at us as the sugar daddies at the end of the road. There are an awful lot of people who are using our roads and not paying for it, all the tourists... even the people using DoC campgrounds, DoC don't pay any rates," said Gerard.
But the mayor said they have limited tools for charging them.
"Local councils really only have rates and fees, we can't charge tolls - we don't have that capacity, so we have to look at a rating model," said Taylor.
Rates won't just be spent on fixing roads. The council is also investing $40 million on marine improvements for better boating access if the road is damaged in future.
It'll include constructing 'marine hubs' in the Sounds, plus protecting and upgrading existing jetties and wharves. As it only takes one slip to cut everyone off.
"We may not be able to fix them if they go again at this scale, so it's important to build in this marine hub resilience," said Taylor.
Because there's no doubt more extreme weather events will hit this vulnerable paradise.
