By ANNE BESTON
A lightning strike in the Auckland suburb of Kohimarama shattered dozens of windows, skinned a 40-year-old Norfolk pine tree and blew the lid off a toilet cistern.
Miraculously, no one was hurt when the lightning struck just after 11.30 am on Saturday in Southern Cross Rd, near Selwyn College.
Shattered glass from windows flew up to 10m, plaster was blown off walls and the top of the Norfolk pine ended up in a nearby tree.
"I was in shock, I didn't know what to do or who to ring," said 32-year-old Kerry Granger, whose rented home was at the centre of the blast. "I just heard the loudest boom I've ever heard and then the windows went. I think I'm lucky to be alive."
Ms Granger went to look at the lightning on the northern side of her house seconds before it blew all the windows on the southern side into millions of tiny shards. Plaster was blown off the walls of the toilet and wallpaper off the living room.
About 20 homes on both sides of the road suffered some damage, most of it to windows and glass doors.
Eighty-year-old Betty West was in her back bedroom when the lightning struck. Every window at the front of her house blew out.
The clean-up after the strike was expected to take a week, as glass had showered lawns, pathways and garages as well as homes.
Another resident, Vicki Tremewan, said it felt like "a bombing in Beirut." The Norfolk Pine was left with a wide gash up one side where the bark had been stripped by the lightning. The flash also travelled through the concrete driveway next to the tree, leaving a deep hole.
Residents said an arborist would be called to see if the tree had been killed.
They plan to contact their insurance companies today.
It appears the damage is not covered by the Earthquake Commission, which covers loss to private property by earthquake, landslip, volcanic eruption, geothermal activity and tsunamis. and fires resulting from these natural disasters.
Lightning strike stuns residents
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.