December 19th 2023: The 35

State Highway 35 is like stepping back into a time when everyone waves at every car that passes, or stops and has a chat – an era when people had time for each other and a wave and a smile meant something. For me, it had been many years since I had driven SH35 and I was excited to see what lay ahead and to see the rebuild after the devastation caused by the 2022 and 2023 cyclone seasons.

Coasters tend to take everything in their stride – even when Cyclone Hale and then Gabrielle actually re-routed rivers completely. They just shrug and get on with the hand that has been dealt to them. They're remote enough to be self-sufficient in most regards and savvy enough to thrive. Local and community law guides them – the echoes of the politicians in Wellington are just a distance circus din.

Not far from Tokomaru Bay a steel road retaining wall had become a retaining wall on the opposite side after a two-storey high mound of rock and silt choked the river. That caused the river to flow over the road ... eventually consuming a section of State Highway 35. A new and higher road has been cut in now and offers a great view of the scale of the earth moving the cyclones were capable of. The reparation work is on a grand scale. It defies belief that I can even pass through, but each stretch of gravel has a friendly face to wave me along.

At the coast, the damage can be seen at high tide as the South Pacific Ocean reaches in to clear the silt, with large plumes of clay-coloured freshwater pushing out across the blue. Freshwater channels cut some interesting patterns into the seawater.

I visit a few favourite waves – not enough swell, but I am reminded of those times when there was enough and the amphitheatres that encompassed us. It's a special place the 35. I hope it never changes.

See you at the beach ... Derek

PS This week I am back in the Box of Light Gallery for any last-minute Xmas gift purchases. While I am mostly in, it's always best to call ahead and make an appointment ... 021 139 8188. Also, any books purchased online can be collected straight away from the gallery.