Thieves burgled Kristine Rose’s flood-damaged, evacuated Nelson home this week.
“It set me back,” Rose said on Saturday from her silt-covered Nile St property adjacent to the Maitai River, which burst its banks in August when an “atmospheric river” hammered the Nelson-Tasman region.
Already dealing with the loss of many personal belongings and the monumental task of trying to dig out mud and silt that smother the yard and cake the lower level of her home, the burglary added more stress.
A Bluetooth speaker, guitars and a rain jacket were among the items taken along with a ukulele and rum.
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Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
The silt-covered lower level of Kristine Rose’s home was being clearned by volunteers on Saturday.
“I’m still finding things missing,” Rose said. “I’ve been very, very nervous about leaving the house. It’s hard to relax when you feel like they might come again.”
However, in spite of that worry, Rose has been trying to focus on the positives of her situation: thieves left untouched hundreds of photos Rose had drying on the floor in the upper level of her home.
“We were joking about it because you’ve got to have a laugh, too,” she said. “So there’s these ukulele-playing, rum-drinking robbers out there who were actually careful not to just trod on my photos.”
Rose had spent two to three days cleaning those precious photos one at a time, rinsing the mud from them and leaving them out to dry on the floor of her home and her temporary accommodation.
Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
Kristine Rose is grateful thieves who burgled her flood-damaged Nelson home did not walk on the photos she had drying on the floor.
“It was a marathon but it was a good focus,” she said. “How amazing that I saved those. There’s so much amazing life reflected here.”
Another highlight was the discovery of a family heirloom – a diamond ring – in the mud early on in the cleanup.
“I felt that was a sign.”
A literal sign saying: “Help needed, down drive” at the top of Rose’s leg-in driveway was heeded on Saturday when volunteers arrived en masse for a working bee, led by Mitre 10 MEGA Nelson Helping Hands programme frontman Murray Leaning.
Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
A team of volunteers, including Nelson mayoral candidate Dr Nick Smith, left, work on clearing Kristine Rose’s yard.
Those volunteers moved wheelbarrows of mud and silt and removed ruined belongings.
Rose was grateful. “I needed help.”
Her neighbour had noticed Rose and a few friends struggling to clear the property and contacted Leaning.
Rose said she felt “fairly blessed” with a bath and clean white sheets in the motel at the end of each muddy, gut-wrenching day.
“It’s not overnight, it’s a marathon really.”
Martin De Ruyter/Stuff
A sign calling for help to clear Kristine Rose’s flood-damaged home was heeded by a team of volunteers on Satruday.
Police on Friday said they were aware of at least five burglaries of red or yellow-stickered homes, three of which were at the same address – a house they saved from being burgled a third time on Monday.
Nelson Bays area commander Inspector Matt Scoles said it was extremely disappointing behaviour and very upsetting to the victims who were already going through an extremely tough time.
