Ruud Kleinpaste – aka 'The Bug Man” is happy to be back in his Kennedys Bush home, now cordons have been lifted following the fires in the Christchurch Port Hills.

'We came back on Sunday and most of our neighbours were allowed back in this morning – so it's great to have neighbours again,” Ruud told SunLive.

Ruud learnt his home and that of his neighbours had been evacuated on Wednesday afternoon last week, while he was in Tauranga to MC theBay of Plenty Young Grower of the Year awards.

He didn't show it, though, continuing with his duties at the awards could not have been easy, with the knowledge that his home was under threat of fire.

When SunLive spoke to Ruud yesterday morning, he was upbeat about being back in the house him and his wife moved into just over two weeks ago.

'We are now busy settling in again, still deep in boxes and unpacking. The garden is ok. We have been very lucky as we were pretty much spared from the fire. Some of the yards in the road are pretty black.”

Ruud says he saw the fires start on Monday night of last week.

'We look down on Early Valley Road – it was just a tiny fire but within five minutes it was spreading rapidly.”

In February 2011, the Kleinpastes moved to Halswell, Christchurch shortly before the major earthquakes in the city. 'We were very lucky that our house was not too badly damaged – but now we've moved again and we have fires – it's a bit like history repeating itself.”

Last week Ruud told SunLive he fears the very unusual fires in Christchurch are symptomatic of climate disruption in which extremes of rainfall and drought and high and low temperatures are becoming more common.

'Everything seems to but turned upside down. Each and every one of us has got to start taking responsibility for the environment.

'Our economic model is linear, not circular. Growth at all costs is not working. We have to learn to live within our means for the health and future of our planet – it's the only one we have.”