Under the Weather

Cam's rescue efforts are nearly sunk at the end of episode 9. How does he resurface?
⚠️ This episode may be distressing for some listeners. Loss of life and some harrowing escapes are covered in this episode.
We left Cam Taylor in deep water at the end of episode 9. Join him with Tara Taylor and Geoff Keighley for this final episode of S1 of UNDER THE WEATHER. Geoff and Cam are relentless in their efforts, rescuing nearly 200 people. Don't miss Part 2 of this incredible story as more rescues unfold and response becomes recovery.
With pilot Geoff Keighley, Cam is about to embark on one of the most challenging rescues of the day – but must haul himself out of trouble first. The day and the phenomenal rescues roll on and on until it gets dark.
Because of the failed comms, Tara has no way of knowing where or how Cam is. Around mid-afternoon, she receives a video from Geoff Keighley, and it takes her a few heart-stopping moments to understand what she’s seeing.
The end of the day brings them back together, and their recollections of this result in a highly entertaining recap of events. There are a few wardrobe malfunctions and a lot of laughter.
Geoff and Cam also have some incredible reunions with the people they’d rescued. Some of these were many months later at the Puketapu Pub. Known to locals as ‘The Puketap’, it was also flooded. Despite that, it played an integral role in community recovery.
When Cam and Geoff, along with many of those they'd rescued, attend its re-opening, there are some emotionally charged reunions. As the stories and drinks flow, Cam and Geoff begin to get a true perspective of how many lives they saved - more than they'd realised.
Geoff flies under the radar and gets the better of civil defence once more. Geoff Keighley - Two. Civil Defence - Zero! Cam andTara reflect on the enormous impact on Taylor Corp and the horticultural sector in general.
They also reflect on the personal costs as they continue to plough through a lengthy recovery process. Tara shares some powerful reflections on life and the shifting landscape of friendships in the wake of disaster.
Notes:
Hayden is the usual Taylor Corp pilot and was rescuing people by jet boat when Tara reached him on the morning of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Cam and Geoff aren’t 100% sure of the exact number of people they rescued. The numbers referred to in this episode of UNDER THE WEATHER are:
150 – this is the initial rescues of RSE workers from riverside accommodation blocks.
200 – their estimate of the total number of rescues (some months later) once they'd had time to process the events.
If you enjoyed listening to TAKING FLIGHT PART TWO, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle.
UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast
Chapters
00:00  Cam is in deep water
00:45  A difficult rescue
03:50  Noah’s Ark
06:15  Back on Sudley Farm
08:10  The Puketapu Pub
09:20  Kiwi hospitality
10:20  Tara
12:00  ‘That ain’t happening buddy’
13:50  A long day on their roof.
14:40  Cam is in a state.
19:15  Geoff’s out to lunch
20:30  Day 2 in Dartmoor
22:40  The beer fridge
23:45  No comms
26:00  Flying under the radar
28:40  Grounded
30:20  A bloody mess
32:00  Bumper to bumper
33:00  Fruitless
34:40  Limbo
36:00  Life or death
38:00  Old dogs, new tricks
38:40  A near miss for Napier
39:10  Trapped
40:10  Exit strategy 
41:00  New connections and final reflections
45:10 Conclusion
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All Transcripts for Under the Weather are AI-generated.

A narrow escape. A chance meeting. Water rises around the chopper as Cam and Geoff take flight.
⚠️ Some content may be distressing. Listener discretion is advised.
The Taylor family home is perched 12 meters above the Tutaekuri River. But by 5.30am on February 14th 2023, the river is on their doorstep and rising. There's no time for anything but escape. They're lucky to get out with their lives and their dogs. Once they're safe, Cam's thoughts turn to his RSE workers. They also live on the river. He has a chopper, but can't reach his usual pilot. In a stroke of incredible luck, another is on the scene.
For Cam and Tara Taylor, Valentine's Day 2023 started with a rude awakening and a narrow escape. Staying home isn't an option, but leaving is also a huge risk. They plough through deep water, which is coursing over the local roads like rapids. They can only watch as other vehicles are swept away. When they reach the safety of their family business, Cam has one thought. Rescuing his orchard workers from the riverbanks.
By air is the only way, and the skids of the chopper are almost submerged as they take flight. Tara remains on the ground and has to outrun the water for a second time that day. This is just the beginning of their day, and of an incredible story about to unfold.
Cam and pilot Geoff Keighley are airborne. The extent of flooding across the region is severe and widespread. Like nothing they could have ever imagined. They rescue Cam's RSE workers, along with others, from nearby orchards. Maybe a hundred in total. They quickly lose count. The pace is relentless, and they take the door off the chopper to allow rapid loading and unloading. They later describe these rescues as the 'easy' ones.
Once the RSE teams are safe, they begin to find people on their roofs. And later, in their roofs. Throughout the day, they continue to discover precarious situations where lives hang in the balance. Cam himself is in a difficult spot as part one of Taking Flight concludes. This incredible story of escape, survival and daring rescues is TBC in Taking Flight part two.
If you enjoyed listening to TAKING FLIGHT PART ONE, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle.
UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast
Chapters
00:00 Intro
02:10 Geoff
05:30 Cam & Tara
06:50 Taylor Corp
07:45 Before the cyclone
09:30 Escape
15:00 SOS Geoff
18:00 Right place, right time
19:20 Pre-flight
24:20 Airborne
25:00 Another narrow escape
30:20 The 'easy' rescues
33:40 Shit gets real
40:15 Traps for young players
43:40 Cam hits the roof
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All transcripts for Under the Weather are AI-generated.

After a deluge of impossible choices, Al is all out of options.
⚠️ This episode covers some distressing themes, including suicide and the loss of Al's dogs. Listener discretion is advised.
After a stormy night, all seems well as day dawns on February 14th 2023. They've dodged a bullet, but the gun is loaded. Before long, Pakowhai is under siege as the rivers close in on the small, rural community. There's no high ground and nowhere to go. Surrounded by rising water, Al's focus is on who needs help - people and animals alike. Not all can be saved. When he takes refuge on a shipping container, Al doesn't think he will be either. Rescue comes, but the reprieve of survival is short. The long battle that follows is raw and unforgiving as he stares down the barrel of grief and loss. Join Al on this journey from heartache to healing.
Originally from Shropshire in the UK, Al had immigrated nearly 30 years previously with his Kiwi partner, Ali. A dairy farmer already, he was a perfect fit for his new life in rural New Zealand. As their boys grew, so did the farms, and Al decided it was time for a change.
A love of dogs and a natural affinity with our canine companions steered Al in new directions. Nearly 20 years and thousands of wagging tails later, he is widely known as 'The Dogman'.
But in early 2023, a catastrophic event tore through their lives. A home, a business, a way of life, were suddenly gone. In their place, trauma, grief and uncertainty. There were no new directions. No blueprint or map. Just a silt-covered road to nowhere.
Al’s first steps along this road were heavy. Despair set like concrete, and there was no light at the end of the tunnel. Overwhelmed and unmoored, he needed an anchor to hold him steady—an anchor to halt the drift into desperation and darkness.
This is a story of Al finding his anchors. In some cases, the anchors find him. As he turns the ship around, his journey is transformed into one of resilience and redemption.

If you enjoyed listening to FROM HEARTACHE TO HEALING, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle.
UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast
Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:40 Meet Al
04:50 The good life
06:00 Everything changes
08:30 Refuge
10:10 Oblivious
11:00 A few deep breaths
12:50 Shine the torch on your feet
14:15 A dark place
16:50 The community rallies
20:10 Pounamu
22:30 No respite
24:40 Gratitude
28:00 What NOT to say...
30:30 Looters
31:30 Divide & Conquer - Insurance
34:30 Divide & Conquer - Councils
37:40 A kick in the guts
40:20 Legacies
42:15 A tribute
43:30 An unexpected new chapter
44:30 Rock bottom
45:25 The light at the end of the tunnel
47:20 Arthur
49:10 A better person
51:20 Dinner club
52:30 Sound advice
55:45 Time to regroup
57:15 Conclusion
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Transcripts for Under the Weather are AI-generated.

Trapped amidst the carnage, the Cave family waits as a desperate search begins.
⚠️ Some listeners may be distressed by this content.
When all hope of rescue is gone, they are forced to spend the night in their flooded home. They lie awake as it slowly disintegrates around them. Their youngest daughter, Alex, is enduring her own ordeal. Undeterred by false reassurance, she embarks on a relentless search for her missing family. It is thanks to Alex that Suzanna, Neal and Sam are eventually found. Join them as they reflect on rescue, reunion and recovery.
Part One ended with deathly silence and an unlikely visitor. It is only one of several enigmatic signs dotted throughout their story.  As the air around them comes to life with the steady chop of helicopter blades, it appears that rescue is imminent. But no one can see them. The water recedes, exposing the wreckage beneath and exposing Neal and Sam to a 15-meter descent with nothing to cushion the fall.
Once back on the ground, they find their beautiful home is unrecognisable. The remaining water, silt and overturned furniture make it almost impossible to navigate. Particularly with their Labrador Ted, who also needs to traverse the wreckage.
Rescue doesn’t come and neither does sleep during a long night of frightening noises. Creaking. Dripping water. Smashing glass. The crashing of ceilings collapsing beneath them.
The day that follows begins with false hope and a perilous trek through the hazardous debris of what was once their home. The 5 of them and Ted spend a long day outside waiting for a helicopter that never returns. Fortunately, thanks to Alex, help does eventually arrive.
Neal, Suzanna and Sam recount their dramatic rescue and the reunion that follows. Their story then becomes one of recovery and new directions. They share some interesting new perspectives, and the conversation touches on survivor's guilt, prophetic dreams, wine and much more. Don't miss the uplifting conclusion to their story as they find triumph amidst the tragedy of Cyclone Gabrielle.
If you enjoyed listening to ALCHEMY PART TWO, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle.
UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more:
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast
Chapters
00:00 Recap
00:35 A long way down
06:50 No time to die
08:30 A sleepless night
10:50 Day 2
12:45 A long wait
15:40 The 11th hour.
19:10 Airborne
20:00 Alex
24:50 Ground Zero
27:10 Where do you start?
31:10 The end of a dream
33:50 Alchemy
36:40 The Puketapu Bridge
37:40 New Perspectives
39:10 Global disasters and survivors guilt
41:10 Conclusion
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All transcripts for UNDER THE WEATHER are AI generated.

A bridge falls. A river rises. The Cave family wake up to a home under siege.
⚠️ Some listeners may be distressed by this content.
In the early hours of February 14th 2023, a family sleeps. None of them knows what’s coming, but Sam has a haunting premonition. Only a few hours later, they wake up surrounded by flooding. Those who’ve slept downstairs are trapped; hostages to the river. As Neal fights to free them, Suzanna hears the front door splintering under the pressure of the rising water. They need to move fast.
This is a story of paradise lost. A Tuscan villa. A lush vineyard, almost ready to yield its grapes. A harvest that never happens. The Cave family watch in shocked disbelief as a way of life is swallowed whole. The water silently follows them as they retreat upstairs. When it begins lapping over the balcony, they must weigh up their options.
They eye up the hills in the distance, but the water there is torrential. Swimming is quickly ruled out. Not knowing when the water will stop, Neal and Sam undertake huge risks to get onto the roof. Once there, they survey a scene of endless flooding. It’s so extensive that a terrible thought immediately strikes them - the whole of Hawke’s Bay is gone.
Fortunately, a brief exchange with Alex tells them otherwise. But this is just the beginning of a 2-day ordeal for all of them. Near the end of this episode, Neal and Sam spot an enormous shipping container heading directly for the house as Suzanna prepares their guests to swim for their lives.
If you enjoyed listening to ALCHEMY PART ONE, please take a moment to rate and review the episode. This ensures more people will discover these stories from Cyclone Gabrielle.
UNDER THE WEATHER has been featured on RNZ and Stuff. Links below to find out more.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/360795376/devastation-healing-cyclone-gabrielles-untold-stories
https://www.rnz.co.nz/national/programmes/ninetonoon/audio/2019002009/tales-of-horror-and-heroism-in-cyclone-gabrielle-podcast
Chapters
00:00  Intro
01:40  Suzanna, Neal and Sam
03:55  A Tuscan villa
05:25   Before the cyclone
10:10  A premonition
12:45  The cold light of day
17:30  Trapped
21:30  Retreat
24:30  Spiderman
26:20  A leap of faith
28:20  The roof
30:40  Alex
33:15  The tide turns
35:00 A precarious perch
36:50  A near miss
40:00 Deathly silence
41:00 To be continued….
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All transcripts for UNDER THE WEATHER are AI-generated.