Hundreds of people have been denied access to the battered Auckland beachside suburb of Muriwai this week, with frustrated locals asking people to stay away as they deal with the fallout from Cyclone Gabrielle.
An estimated 300 people in the coastal village are still effectively homeless and on Sunday, Newshub made it through to one of the worst-hit areas for the first time.
After making it up Motutara Rd, it's easy to see why so some may never be allowed back. Homes remain crushed by slips, there's debris everywhere, and destruction is all around.
Mike Hibbert chairs the Muriwai Stickered Residents Group. His home in Motutara Rd remains in the red, while a staggering number of others are in limbo.
"It's, I would say, roughly 300 to 400 people that are displaced," Hibbert said.
It's hard to show the scale on camera, but the devastation up Motutara Rd is confronting. Cars are still buried, properties are in pieces, and one part of the street is so quiet you can barely hear a bird call.
The locals are clear: If you're thinking of coming for a drive, don't.
"We want to know when we can go home. We're not getting clear answers from the council on the timing of that, but we're fearful at the moment that there's a lot of people coming in, or trying to come in, to the beach when it's actually still closed and we don't feel it's been well communicated," Hibbert said.
The bad weather is gone, as have the cameras and coverage, but the hardest times may well be ahead for this place.
Red and yellow stickers aside, some services are still shot, tracks are closed, and slips threaten public areas including beaches.
"Water to the houses that people are back at home in is a critical problem. So far we are running a bit short so people aren't able to have showers in the morning typically," Hibbert said.
Jeremy Jones is another there who's been riding the rollercoaster from white sticker, to red, now back to white.
While he can now go home, many can't. Newshub's been told there are still over 100 red-stickered homes in Muriwai alone.
"It's possibly going to be a long haul for lots of them, but we want to make it as short as possible," Jones said.
"So that's why we want to make it front and centre, stay in the spotlight, otherwise we are going to end up with a Christchurch situation."
Meanwhile, cordons remain along the road in. Car after car is turned away and about 80 denials a day is standard.
