Cyclone Gabrielle special report
Woken by the constant miaowing of her cat Kore at 5.45am on Tuesday, February 14, Kezia-Joy Whakamoe had no idea what she was about to experience or that the early wake-up call was potentially lifesaving.
As she headed to the bathroom, the single mother-of-one, who chooses to go by her Māori name Te Kīra, could hear the strangely loud rushing of water below.
One look outside her Waiohiki Arts Village home and she knew they were in trouble.
“We were submerged like we
