A neighbour had cut down a plantation of trees that bordered David’s boundary and as a consequence left the shelterbelt trees on the boundary exposed to winds that they were not used to. Sure enough, when the next 100km/hr winds came, about 20 blew over.

We wanted to plant that paddock in grass next week and I was due to have a hernia operation tomorrow, so had better finish cleaning them up today. Strong winds predicted. No problem. Finish the job, tow the last logs out and forgot that I put the chainsaw in the front-end loader bucket to take home. Push the logs over out of the way and in doing so drop the chainsaw out of the bucket and run over it with the front wheel of the tractor and squished it before I saw it and managed to stop. BURGER.

Well that finished, I had better get home early to get ready for op tomorrow. Got home about 5pm and while having a milo, thought I should have a shave and cook some tea before the power goes off as the wind has got up to 110km/hr and the light starts to flicker. Too late, the power has gone off. BURGER.

Better check the trees on the roadside just down the road. Sure enough, some trees had come down and broken some 22,000-volt power lines and the wire is arcing on the fence and has started two fires—one beside the end of the wire and one further along the fence where the now-live fence was touching the ground. I park with flashing lights so that nobody comes around the corner and drives straight into the live wires sitting across the road and ring the power company. They will send someone out. Just about to ring the fire brigade, more trees come down as wind climbs to about 120km/hr and I have to shift to keep out of the way. Get phone call to say that more, bigger trees have fallen further down the road and blocked it completely. Notice wires are not alive anymore and fire is slowly dying out. Phew. Go home—nothing more you can do now.

Head home—now 7:30pm. Ring Harry to bring the tractor to take generator to cowshed ready to milk in the morning as power will not be back on by then. Got that done, can head home. NO. Got phone call from neighbour to say there is a fire at the farm down the road and fire brigade can not get down the road as too many big trees are down. Get Harry and his chainsaw and shovels but have to carry them inside the ute as the canopy door got caught in the wind and got bent and is now tied shut with hay twine. Can’t get very far down the road before we come to trees blocking our way.

Start cutting the trees up into small pieces so that we can pull them out of the way by hand, to get past. Wind now 170km/hr. Cut, tow, try to keep standing upright, pull hat on harder, pull—oops, hat gone on direct flight to Christchurch. BURGER.

Someone comes around the end of tree and said can not get up that way as too many big trees are down and does not think there is a fire up there. It must be the other way up the road.

Try to get into ute and wind now about 190km/hr, wipes door out of hands and bends door. BURGER.

Travel other way holding door shut. Arrive at fire with neighbour and his truck with tank of water on board. Different neighbour had burnt some tree stumps 300m away 3 weeks ago and thought the fire was out. Big winds soon changed that.

Wind now 200km/hr. Some litter around the base of some trees was now burning and sparks were flying sideways, able to reach a hayshed with tractors in. Get tractors out and stamp out burning hay. Try hosing down the litter but hose not long enough to get close enough and just spray over area which quells most of it. Fire in trees across road but cannot spray water into 200km/hr wind so cut fences to get on upwind side and have to have nozzle up close so water was not lost in the wind. Nearly out, but what, run out of water. BURGER.

Neighbour gets phone call to say fire is near his home, so off he goes with water truck. Nothing more we can do without more water so go to see if he needs a hand. By now the fire is past his house so not much more risk there, so head back to other fire. By now fire brigade has arrived by cutting farmers’ fences to get around big trees and with plenty of water succeeds in putting fire out. Tie door shut with hay twine. Go home. Now 10pm, try to ring Sue but phone that requires no power packed a sad through lack of use. BURGER.

No power so cold tea of fruit and ice-cream as the ice-cream will only melt anyway. Lucky enough water still in tank and water still hot enough to have a shower and wash dust out of hair and eyes. Set alarm on cell phone for 4am to get generator working so next farm can use it also.

Wake up at 3:30am, wind has dropped and got the 50kVA generator running on the milking machines and water pump but not big enough for refrigeration or effluent pump. Have to do them later. Everything going OK.

Now 4:30am. Go to Mike’s farm to see how he is getting on by way of back roads but find lots of big trees across the road and wires down. Can not get near. Sorry Mike you will have to cope by yourself. I have to go for my operation as I can not wait another 3 months if I miss this one. Now 5am and head up to David’s 8km away for him to take me into the hospital. The only way to get there is about 20km trip extra down different roads. Down side roads out to a main road—should be right. Trees and wires down everywhere but manage to get through to main road. Along the main road still had trees down but by driving on the grass can get around all of them until I come to where a truck tried to get around and got stuck on the grass. More side roads and as I was due at David’s at 6am I had 5 minutes to check out the new house he was building. Looked OK except an offcut of iron had been blown in the wind and made a hole in the wall of the shed. BURGER.

Arrive at David’s 6am but he has a leaky roof to attend to as now raining and the wind has lifted some tiles. So drive myself to hospital but find road blocked so more side roads and eventually arrive at hospital not much later than the 7am that I was supposed to be there by.

Phew, maybe I can get some rest. I sit down and start to read the paper and the nurse takes blood pressure, temp, ECG, etc and then the surgeon came and draws green arrows on me. I get my surgery and when I come to, I ask when can I go home. “After the surgeon checks you out.” David arrives at 5pm to drive me home, but don’t get clearance until after 6pm. Head home. Hurrah.

Arrive at David’s near 8pm and stop for a milo as still no power. I can drive from here.
“No Granddad, you are too sick to drive,” said granddaughter aged 4.
No, I just have to sit in the seat and hold the steering wheel.
“Well don’t drive fast, just drive slow or the stitches may come out,” she says.
No, I will just drive slow. Now 9:30pm.

Nearly home and see the lights on at Michelle & Mark’s cowshed. Better call in and see how things are going. They got the generator earlier in the day but as the generator wiring was new it had not been tested yet. When they tried it the milking machines ran backwards. BURGER.

After having to wait most of the day for the electrician to put it right, they were now going alright so I can go home. Now 10pm. Bed. Aahh.

5am next morning wake up. Better see how Mike is getting on. Found he managed to get a generator for the milking machines but not any water as the pump’s power came from a different place. Electrician running cable over to pump shed to run it also on the generator. All OK—I can go home. If I just tweak the door up a bit it should shut OK. BURGER.

I forgot that I should not lift anything much. Nearly popped the stitches. Better get off the farm as too many things need lifting. Check that everything is now happening. Borrow generator, run computer, book tickets for Hamilton, head off to airport and have to get past one last tree that decided to still come down even after wind has gone.

Now I can have a bit of rest.