Water geyser hits CBD store

The geyser shoots hundreds of litres of water into the awning outside Forhomes Outlet Store in James St, Whangarei.

A strange geyser burst into a shop in central Whangarei, spewing hundreds of litres of high pressure water into the air, leaving the store with a broken window, water damaged floor and a soggy tale to tell customers.

A burst pipe outside the Forhomes Outlet store about 4.45pm on Monday "looked like a bloody shambles" but the fallout wasn't as dramatic as the photos of the ensuing "water spout" may indicate, the store manager said.

A contractor fixes the burst pipe that sent a geyser of water into a Whangarei shop.

The manager, who did not want to be named, said he was just getting ready to shut the shop up on Monday when he heard a noise and looked outside the front door on to James St.

A burst pipe shot a plume of high pressure water into the awning outside the shop and sent water flowing through the front of the store while also cracking a window pane, he said.

"It was so powerful it blew the iron manhole cover (measuring one metre by 50cm) completely off and the water into the awning.

"It's funny when you look at the pictures that it's coming out right underneath our "Outlet" sign ... that's not the kind of outlet sale we meant though."

"It sent scoria into the air and that's what cracked the window. It also left a pool of water in the front of the store and scoria all over the place.

"I don't think it damaged the furniture though."

He said it took the Whangarei District Council and its contractors 20-30 minutes to repair the pipe.

"It looked far worse than it was though, but I suppose it's funny when you think about it.".