Floods
Grey Lynn was severely affected by the January 2023 floods. This photo in Dryden St/Hakanoa/Cockburn St – just down from the West Lynn shops, made the news. This was before we all realised the water was unsafe to be in.
Opoutukeha, the stream and wetland that would become Grey Lynn Park and the Cox’s Bay Reserve, returned with a vengeance on Friday January 27, 2023 as Grey Lynn Park flooded and Dryden Street became a raging torrent late in the night barreling towards homes in Grey Lynn.
Local muscians were saved by their neighbour rescuing them in a kayak.
There are many many stories of that terrible night when an atmospheric river hit Auckland.
Our Grey Lynn Park completely filled with water. Turns out 6 large stormwater pipes drain into the park. The park became a large swimming pool – then the bund broke and water rushed out into Hakanoa St and down to the Mitre 10. It is a miracle nobody died.
In Wellpark Reserve the area became a huge pond. 2 metres higher than the bridge. The house on the left hand side of Maxwell Ave has had to be abandoned.
Here’s Waitemata Councillor Mike Lee’s reflections on the floods.
“The 27th January floods severely impacted parts of St Marys Bay, Herne Bay and Grey Lynn. The damage to properties on Dryden, lower Hakanoa, Cockburn, Tutanekai and Sackville streets Grey Lynn was localised but quite devastating. Here dozens of people lost their homes, some permanently and least four people came close to drowning that night.
The courage and fortitude of those most affected deeply impressed me. Throughout that long anniversary weekend, despite the shock and trauma and damage to their houses, men and women toiled long hours to remove flood damaged carpets, curtains, heavy furniture, household appliances and to try to salvage personal items. Some were obliged to remove internal lining and soaked insulation from their houses. They laboured those long days without any outside assistance from the authorities, helped only by other local residents, including cabinet minister David Parker, who generously pitched in to lend a hand.
I would like to mention some of the Grey Lynn locals I met in the aftermath of the floods, who in the time of crisis rose to the occasion. Judge David McNaughton was one. The McNaughton home was damaged in the flood, as was the nearby Hakanoa reserve in which David and local volunteers have worked so hard to remove weeds and revegetate with native species. During this crisis and the days following David in his non-judicial baseball cap and jeans was a rallying figure for the neighbourhood. Across the street Dr Joseph Earles during the height of the flood coolly kayaked over what was a 3 metre hedge to rescue neighbours Dick Johnson and Anna Coddington and their two children who had been trapped in an upstairs bedroom by rapidly rising flood waters, roaring down from Grey Lynn Park. Dick & Anna and the children survived but their once lovely home is totally wrecked.
During one of my evening calls to the area with a council officer to hustle up more rubbish skips, I saw two women lugging flood damaged items from a basement. The pair turned out to be our much-loved chanteuse, musician and songwriter Linn Lorkin and her friend, singer Jennie Cruse. We were invited upstairs, thankfully undamaged, whereupon in no time at all Linn, partner Hershal Hersher and Jennie, were performing wonderful music. I found it very moving. A truly memorable moment in that rather grim time.
On the Saturday immediately after the floods Linn and Hershal had performed a concert from their porch, boosting the morale of their hard-pressed neighbours up and down the street who paused from their labours to clap and cheer.
This is the spirit of Grey Lynn undaunted in the face of adversity. It’s the kiwi spirit, now to be seen across our cyclone damaged, suffering, wounded country, especially Hawkes Bay and Tairāwhiti. The survival of that spirit is one comfort we can take from this tragic time”
Mike Lee
