A digger crunched through broken timber, particle board and the occasional brick - the remnants of a once-loved, modern family home on a quiet street in Maunu.
Demolition of the first of eight houses at the southern end of Kotuku St started this week, in preparation for the construction of a multi-million dollar stormwater dam.
Unlike the Whau Valley dam, which provides drinking water to urban Whangarei, the Kotuku detention dam will trap water from flooded Raumanga streams and slowly release it over several days, preventing downstream flooding in central Whangarei.
The dam will eventually empty out the "detained" water over two to three days.
Northland Regional Council (NRC) contractors will demolish the first five houses over the next three weeks.