Residents in Lake Ōhau are rebuilding their lives and homes while slowly restoring the scorched landscape after last year's devastating fire.
A Fire and Emergency investigation report into the origin and cause expected in the coming weeks. Photo: RNZ/ Tess Brunton
Today marks one year since fire tore through the remote Mackenzie Basin community, destroying or damaging about half of the homes.
But unlike 4 October last year when howling winds fanned flames through the village, on Monday, it rained with fresh snow expected on the nearby hills.
Surviving homes and new builds have been slowly filling the empty sections in Lake Ōhau village with blackened tree stumps a stark contrast to nearby blossoming trees.
Local resident Louis Campbell said residents were resolved to rebuild the community but the fire had taken its toll.
"Some say they feel they don't belong in the village until they've rebuilt, and others have said that they feel disconnected because they weren't here on the night of the fire and they still lost their house.
"One or two in the village who remained here have felt a bit isolated. But there is a resolve for people to come back and alongside that resolve is dealing with the issues of coping with the aftermath."
He was proud of how the community confronted such an awful time by coming together and stepping up.
It was that resolve that had brought him comfort over the past year.
"I think that came at a cost too. I think the fire brought in a tension in the village and it's remained long after the flames were extinguished, and that tension can continue and then at times it can feel like something's got to give."
Homes are being rebuilt in Lake Ōhau after many were devastated by a fire last year Photo: RNZ/ Tess Brunton
While some referred to the fire as a dark time, he said that darkness was beautiful in Lake Ōhau with the southern cross and polished stars.
For him, isolation had hit the hardest.
"Everyone has a personal story and everyone is at different stages. I think that's quite important, and they find their own way through... but I just think it's important to keep an eye on yourself."
He hoped those struggling or feeling isolated would reach out and ask for help.
The return of native birds has been a joyful time for Viv Smith-Campbell, who has been visiting the village for the past 30 years and lived here for the past six.
"The bellbirds have come back with a vengeance. We always had lots of bellbirds here so that's just fantastic, and over winter, we had a bellbird feeding competition going on around the village. Not on purpose, but everyone invested in sugar feeders and so the bellbirds, you could see them, had a little route that they were taking through the village to check out who had their sugar water out."
Work was underway on several houses with the scaffolding up and builders on site.
The fire burnt through or damaged many of the wilding pines in and around the village.
Smith-Campbell said a lot of them were seed sources that spread hundreds of thousands of seeds around.
"Now what we need to do is make sure that the little ones - which the seeds are still there - don't come back and take over.
"So to have the seed sources gone is a real benefit and that will make our work with wildings virtually non-existent apart from vigilance when you're out there looking for the little ones."
Viv Smith-Campbell is welcoming the return of native birds in the wake of the fire. Photo: RNZ/ Tess Brunton
Biodiversity Minister Damien O'Connor said about $1.6 million had been spent over the past year for wilding pine control around the Lake Ōhau area.
"I think we're getting on top of it. There have been many areas that have been treated. We've got in there and knocked down the populations and we've been mindful ... of the potential dangers."
Part of that included removing the pines that were burnt, he said.
The Ōhau Conservation Trust and community had been busy planting natives in and around the village.
As you enter the village, the nearby slope has been planted with grasses to bring back the tussock.
Smith-Campbell was hopeful some of the more glaring gaps would be filled again soon as more houses were rebuilt and new plants took root.
"When nature is back around you as you remember it and it's regrowing and you're hearing the sounds and seeing the birds and those sort of things, it is a real reassurance that things are progressing. That things are healing, things are moving.
"I think that's a really important signal for people. Time has moved on and things are coming back, and that's really positive."
Smith-Campbell was hopeful that some of the more glaring gaps would be filled again soon as more houses were rebuilt and new plants took root.
While their home survived, her other house didn't and she has been working through insurance for it.
Insurance Council NZ chief executive Tim Grafton said more than 80 percent of the 230 claims from the fire had closed with only a handful that were completely unresolved.
"We will have something in the order of ... maybe 30 or 40 where the managed repair of the property, that process is still going through.
"It only closes when we've completely finished the job."
Insurance costs for the fire have reached more than $35 million.
Residents were hoping for more answers soon with a Fire and Emergency investigation report into the origin and cause expected in the coming weeks.
A Fire and Emergency spokesperson said it had taken considerable time to finalise because of the fire's complexity.
"However, we do know a number of factors including fuels, terrain, high temperatures and severe winds contributed to the spread of this fire."
The fire suppression costs for the Lake Ōhau fire were $1,357,025.
