It's been a catastrophic start to 2023 for one Bay of Plenty couple.

In mid-January, they discovered their teenage son had stage-four cancer - two weeks later their home was destroyed in a landslide.

Mike Gerbes and Rebecca Hayes are still reeling from the news that Mikaere, 16, has Hodgkins Lymphoma which has spread to his liver, and now they find themselves homeless, without cars or possessions.

The family's Tauranga house in Egret Avenue, Maungatapu, was crushed by a huge slip on January 30, caused by heavy rain and flooding.

A deluge of mud, rocks and trees hammered down on houses below including Gerbes' property and that of his neighbours – Luke Hanan and Teresa Hodgson.

Gerbes, Hayes and Mikaere were all asleep at the time, while their other son, 15-year-old Campbell was playing on his Xbox.

'There was an almighty noise on the roof and I thought it was hail, thinking, jeez they must be big hailstones. Then there was a thundering sound and it sounded like the roof was coming in. Then the power went out.”

Campbell legged it to his parents' bedroom yelling at them to get up.

'I could hear screams coming from next door, too. I pulled back the curtain and saw my garden shed in the window and thought, heck, that shouldn't be there.”

Mike Gerbes and his partner Rebecca Hayes survey the damage to their house after a landslide.

The family only had seconds to rush outside.

'We were in a panic. Rebecca was running out butt naked but then quickly threw something on but forgot her knickers, which she joked about the next day when all the TV crews arrived.

'The boys, however, had pants on but didn't have time to grab their phones which seemed like a disaster in itself for them. Campbell was hyperventilating but mainly worried about the stock cars in the garage. Mikaere seemed completely calm.”

The family is now staying with their parents and are unable to return to the house.

'There's a real chance of another slip. Civil Defence told us there's still a lot of movement in the slip. Even the security men stationed there have been told to stand at the top of the road. So we won't be able to go back or do anything until mother nature sorts its shit out.”

It's been a gruelling task dealing with their insurance company, says Gerbes.

'They told Rebecca we had to list every item, brand, description, when we bought it and we thought, are you shitting me? Our house has just been destroyed – we can't think straight.”

Their car has been written off, and the two stock cars will need thousands of dollars worth of repairs.

Gerbes has already returned to his work at Hirepool.

'I had to go to work in my crocs as my work boots were lost in the mud.”

The slip pales into insignificance given the battle that Mikaere faces.

'He's got his first appointment today to organise chemo and all that to shrink the lumps. I have told him to kick this cancer's arse because I am not going to bury my child.”

Trying to stay positive, Gerbes jokes about the slip, but late at night with Rebecca, the reality is sinking in.

'We try not to dwell on it. I think as a man you know you think you've got to handle it, brush it off. I noticed in the last few days we've both been a bit jumpy when we hear a sound.”

The couple are also still trying to process their son's cancer.

'It had started when he noticed a lump in his groin in November, but we were only given the final diagnosis in January. When the doctor told us we broke down but Mikaere just asked if he would still be able to drive his stock car.”

A Givealittle has been set up to support the family through Mikaere's treatment and the rebuilding of their lives after the slip disaster. The support of the speedway community and locals had been overwhelming, he said.

Looking at the damage in the street, Gerbes feels lucky that his family are all still alive.

'It's surreal and humbling to see what we all dodged. We are safe, we have a roof over our head, and we have each other.”

Houses red stickered

Five slip-affected homes on Egret Ave in Tauranga have now been deemed unsafe to live in and issued with Dangerous Building Notices.

Other minor slips have occurred in Mersea Place and Te Hono Street, Maungatapu, but there have been no further property evacuations, Tauranga City Council acting chief executive Barbara Dempsey said on Thursday.

"Council has appointed a recovery team to directly liaise with local residents and guide them through next steps. Clean up will get under way when the forecast heavy rain has passed or once advice has been received that it is safe to do so.

"We are doing all we can to ensure a timely clean up and recovery of the impacted areas and we're working directly with residents who have been affected.”

Since the land slips on Saturday night, Dempsey said a number of agencies including emergency services, the council's building inspection and emergency management teams, engineering geologists, and geotechnical engineers have made the Egret Ave site as safe as possible.

"The safety of residents and the public is our main priority and security staff will remain onsite for the immediate future to ensure that properties and contents are secure until the clean-up begins."

Drone footage has confirmed that the slip does not appear to have worsened, but the slope is still very wet and there is potential for more rain in the coming days.

Residents are being advised to monitor their properties for any further damage and be prepared to self-evacuate if the conditions deteriorate.

-Annemarie Quill/Stuff.