Cyclone Gabrielle IT'S A MIRACLE OUR BABY SURVIVED

The Karekare family was caught in a terrifying wave of mud, rubble and glass when their house slid down a hill

- Nicky Pellegrino

As they waited for Cyclone Gabrielle to hit, Nick and Corinne Hayward weren't overly worried. During the nearly eight years they had lived at Karekare, on Auckland's west coast, they had weathered a few storms and always felt safe in their house up among the trees at the top of a valley.

"And at first, that evening was very calm," recalls Corinne. "There was no wind or rain - nothing."

Once their children Onyx, three, and one-year-old Riggs were in bed, the wind began to pick and the rain got heavier, then torrential. "It felt like you could walk out onto the deck and swim into the sky," reflects Nick.

A friend sent a message to say her place up the coast in Piha was flooding and, at that point, the couple decided to bring the kids downstairs to sleep in the living room together in case they needed to get out fast.

"Riggs was in a porta-cot and Onyx was on the couch with me," explains Corrine. "Nick kept going round the property to check everything was OK. The rain was relentless and the road was like a river, but the house seemed fine."

Hearing some crashing and banging sounds, they assumed trees were falling, but what they now know is the noise was caused by huge boulders crashing down into the valley.

Ever since Cyclone Gabrielle lashed New Zealand back in February, Corinne, 35, and Nick, 36, have been trying to piece together exactly what happened next. They remember that by 2am, the storm seemed to be easing. Nick did a last check, then settled down to try and sleep. Corinne said a little prayer as she closed her eyes.

"I just said, 'Please keep us safe. Let us get through this. And then I heard the most incredible sound I've heard in my life."