A Blanket Bay resident with the "happy gene" admits he is struggling to remain positive as frustration builds over the future of his "unsafe" home.
Gordon Sasse’s Blanket Bay Rd home, in Dunedin, was swamped by mud as a slip tore down the hill during the deluge of July 21-22. The house was issued with an unsafe building notice, despite minimal damage to the structure itself, and Mr Sasse has had to remain out of the house since.
He said he remained in limbo, unsure of his home’s future, and it could take months and thousands of dollars before he could return.
"We don’t really know what’s going to happen," he said.
"I was trying to be positive and wait until things take their course ... [but] it’s frustrating."
EQC had sent an engineer to assess the property and he was awaiting a report before planning his next step.
"It’s just a waiting game. We are hoping to see the report shortly."
The previously landscaped section was still covered in mud, although much had been cleared.
"It’s just a slow process," Mr Sasse said.
"We have done a lot of work.
"I’m determined to get a lot done, but it just doesn’t happen quickly - that’s all. We just have to tick one box off at a time."
The slip also carried a lot of mud into a lagoon below the property.
Neither the Dunedin City Council nor the Otago Regional Council had any intention of clearing it.
"It’s an act of nature and we aren’t in a position to do anything other than let nature deal with it," an ORC spokesman said.
The DCC said there was no intention to clear debris from the seabed.
"There are currently 10 dangerous building notices and five dangerous land notices," a DCC spokeswoman said.
"If a property owner has a dangerous building notice, the owner then needs to obtain their own engineering advice as to how they can make the building safe.
"Once the building has been made safe, staff will work with the owners and the engineers to lift the notice.
"DCC will also be contracting a geotechnical engineer to carry out assessments of all properties with dangerous building and dangerous land notices."
