Man in hospital, caravans destroyed in reported tornado in Northland
Google Maps
A man in his mid 80s has been taken to hospital after being trapped in his campervan when it was blown over in a Northland camp ground.
Another campervan has been destroyed. It had flipped on its roof and been blown about 50-metres into a Norfolk Pine tree.
Ambulance and Fire and Emergency were called to Tauranga Bay Holiday Park about 9.15am on Tuesday.
The injured man was taken to Bay of Islands Hospital in a moderate condition.
RNZ's reporter at the scene said his campervan was flipped on its side.
The damage is very localised with nearby campervans untouched.
Some at the scene have reported seeing a waterspout, it was also being described as a tornado.
MetService said intense rain and thunderstorms in the area meant there was the potential for tornadoes.
But a spokesperson could not say whether one had occurred.
However, wind gusts of up to 75km/h had been recorded in the Kaeo area.
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero
,
a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
1News
3 hours ago
- 1News
Weather: Major clean-up of roading network in Bay of Plenty
A severe thunderstorm watch issued for Bay of Plenty, Rotorua and Gisborne has expired as crews begin to clear some slips and debris from roads across the network. Yesterday, MetService issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Auckland, Great Barrier Island and the Coromandel Peninsula which expired at midnight, as a heavy rain band lashed the North Island. This morning, the forecaster warned of more rain with heavy falls expected in the Bay of Plenty and the far north of Gisborne, issuing a watch that expired at 10am. Thames Coromandel District Council said some roads remain blocked today due to slips, downed trees and debris. Travellers were urged to take extra care on the roads today following heavy rain yesterday and overnight. ADVERTISEMENT Rocks have fallen on Tapu Coroglen Rd. (Source: Thames Coromandel District Council) The following roads in Coromandel were still impacted: SH25a Kōpu to Hikuai has a slip on it, partially blocking one lane, NZTA crews are onsite Surface flooding on Hikuai Settlement Rd and Hot Water Beach Rd Tairua River flooded at about 3am, with SH25 near Prescott's garage closed briefly; however with the favourable tide this has now reopened. Kauaeranga river hit a maximum of 8.5m overnight, triggering a first-stage alarm; however, the level is now dropping. The district council said 156mm of rain was recorded at the Pinnacles, and the Pinnacles Hut was closed overnight due to weather. As of 12pm, many of the other watches and warnings issued by MetService earlier in the week had expired. A strong wind watch remained in effect for the Chatham Islands until 3am Thursday. ADVERTISEMENT Bay of Plenty Civil defence said online it was aware of some "unplanned power outages around the region due to the weather and [we] know that there are various site investigations underway". The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including UK set to recognise Palestine, fire closes another Auckland supermarket, and Australia's plan to clamp down on YouTube access. (Source: 1News) "There's also been a few reports of surface flooding and trees coming down. We ask that if you notice any trees down, or other storm related damage, please report them to your local council," it said. "MetService New Zealand warnings remain in place, so we ask that people remain vigilant as they travel to work or school, and be aware of potential poor visibility, surface flooding, slips or difficult driving conditions."
NZ Herald
7 hours ago
- NZ Herald
Russia earthquake: NZ-wide mobile warning alert issued for possible tsunami activity
A New Zealand-wide emergency mobile alert has been issued after a major 8.8 magnitude earthquake in Russia threatens tsunami activity. The National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) has warned of 'strong and unusual currents and unpredictable surges' across New Zealand's coastline overnight. 'Strong currents and surges can injure and drown people,'
RNZ News
a day ago
- RNZ News
Heavy rain falls on Tasman again: 'We're definitely over it'
Tasman residents who have spent the last month in clean up mode have been hoping today's rain doesn't cause the same devastation seen in recent weeks. People in the district have endured two large floods and repeated orange heavy rain warnings, since the first flood caused widespread damage on 27 June. Dovedale has been hit by more rain in the latest weather event. Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii Upper Moutere farmer Murray Silcock said it had been a worrisome few weeks. "Most farmers here were very nervous, not only farmers, the whole community is just wondering where we're heading now into the future with low lying land and flooding in houses, not just paddocks." Murray Silcock Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii Silcock is a bull beef farmer near Dovedale. He said his farm could handle 100 millimetres of rain in one go, and on Tuesday afternoon it had already received about 60mm. Today's rain forecast - two weeks after the last flood that saw his calf-rearing sheds damaged by floodwater and inundated with silt - had him feeling anxious. "The first one softened everything and did a lot of damage, a lot of sediment, a lot of fences knocked over, then along two weeks later comes the second flood and it just played havoc." Since then, Silcock said they had been busy cleaning up. Farmlands had been supportive, organising a bulldozer and fencing gear, helping to coordinate recovery work along the Dove River and getting silt cleared out of the sheds before 2000 bobby calves arrived later this week. It has been a worrisome few weeks for farmers in the area. Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii A fifth-generation farmer, having farmed in the area his whole life, he said it was the wettest winter he could recall. "When I looked in the diary a couple of weeks ago, it was around about 1100 mm over the last three and a half months, which is a lot of rain in this area, because a lot of that actually fell over two weeks." He estimated the clean up, building fences, reinstating culverts and fixing slips would take 12 months and cost around $200,000, only some of which would be covered by insurance. Further south at the Civil Defence centre in Tapawera, lead welfare officer Kelly Russell - who has lived in the district for nearly 30 years - said this was also the worst winter she had experienced. "We've had a couple of years where we've had a little bit of rain, a little bit of flooding, but nothing compared to this." The centre was open for anyone needing to drop in for support and would remain staffed overnight, "People are pretty stressed, there's a lot of damage in different places, the last thing we really need is more rain. It'd be nice to have a bit of sunshine but we're all hanging in there doing what we have to do, that's what you do when you're in the country." Russell said the repeat nature of the floods was difficult to deal with and she was "definitely over" the rain. "You're constantly thinking, 'are my stock safe? Is my land safe? Am I going to lose anything this time? It's hard." She was hopeful the rain would not come to much and the settlement would not experience flooding again, this time around. Tapawera NPD shop manager Sarah Jacobs said after the back-to-back floods, many in the community were exhausted. "There is definitely a sense of anxiety and fear in the air, but as I keep saying, preparation is important and this has been a really good opportunity to be prepared for other events that should happen, like earthquakes or any natural disasters." Sarah Jacobs Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii Jacobs said it was important people had emergency kits, ready to go. "I learned that myself the hard way as I was evacuated in the first flood and had very little with me and it was four days before we could get it's definitely raised a great awareness to be ready and prepared for any disaster." The petrol station lost power for about 18 hours in the first flood and was unable to provide anyone with fuel, which included emergency services, and Jacobs said they were now exploring back-up systems to ensure they could continue to operate during future power outages. She said the community was still facing a big clean up that was likely to take months, if not years. "The mud and the silt and the sand that's just been dumped in places, it's heartbreaking and you get stuck in it and it smells." "We're definitely over it, we're looking forward to some warmer weather and some sunshine... we're ready to put this behind us now." Dovedale hit by more rain in latest weather event Photo: RNZ/Mark Papalii Tasman mayor Tim King said after a briefing this morning with MetService, the forecast had improved slightly and there was no longer a high chance of it being upgraded to a red warning. He said those in areas previously affected by flooding remained at risk and should be prepared, which included staying elsewhere if they felt unsafe. Nelson Tasman Emergency Management duty group controller Rob Smith said the region had "stood up really well today". It remains under a heavy rain warning until at least 10pm, with some parts until midnight. Service said the peak of the weather had passed in Golden Bay as the weather system moved to the east. The emergency operations centre in Tasman would continue to monitor the weather overnight. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
