An extreme weather event left its calling card in the Tasman region this year.
Ex-cyclone Gita dumped torrential rain, causing a destructive mix of mud, logs and debris to sweep through properties.
"It was just about running for our lives really," describes Shaggery Creek Lyn Rombouts.
But there's no escaping her new reality - half her property remains buried under hundreds of tonnes of debris.
"This has been here since the 20th of February," says Mrs Rombouts, pointing to a large log jam on her land. "Nothing's moved".
She estimates the cost to clear the debris to be between $70,000 and $100,000. Both Lyn and her neighbours want forestry land owners to pay for the clean up.
"The rain is an act of god, the erosion and the compromise and disturbance of the land up there is not an act of god." explains Mrs Rombouts.
Similar scenes in Tolaga Bay, near Gisborne, sparked a council investigation and prosecutions are pending against some forestry groups.
But in Tasman, Council Environment and Planning Manager Dennis Bush-King says practices were up to standard.
"In relation to the consents that the forestry companies held, yes their skid sites and their roads held up remarkably well to the event".
He says the council's satisfied with forestry management since Gita, despite fears from residents living beneath harvesting operations.
"There are some situations where they're in the middle of harvesting, that probably do look as though they're at risk, and yes if we had a flood tomorrow then yes some of that debris would fall downstream, but that's work in progress," says Mr Bush-King.
Marahau resident Jane Newman says she's lost her sense of security.
"We all know, from what's happened and what we're seeing is being done up there, that it's just a matter of time".
An iwi forest owner's offered to pay a quarter of the cost to clear only logs from three Shaggery properties.
"But to take that, we have to give away all our legal rights and we're still learning what they are," explains Mrs Rombouts.
Gita may be gone, but this fight's set to continue into the new year.
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