At the foot of Richmond hill there is a fenced off, solitary dangerous area of houses destroyed by the earthquake and rockfalls. The houses have been abandoned and overgrown, entry is strictly prohibited even though on the other side of the road the busy urban life is bustling. Lee works here with his loader to aid temporary storage for large amounts of soil. He laughs off danger himself but doesn’t let me or anyone else in the site. Rather the friendly man tells me about himself. His tattoo is a tribute to his family and five children, who share his ancient maori heritage or whakapapa on his father’s side and an early settler heritage from his mother’s side. He is proud of his genealogy and tries to pass this pride to his teenage children. The only regret he has that he doesn’t speak Te Reo Maori though he understands most of what is said. Standing in front of him I can see how the earthquakes shook the rocks, pakeha settlement shook maori culture fundamentally, but still, Lee is here today with a smile on his face.