Shattering glass, crunching wood and crumbling concrete. That was the scene this morning at 49 Whitaker St, Otumoetai, as the white concrete walls of a family home crumbled. The steel bucket of the bright yellow digger smashed through the cement walls with ease as the demolition of the property began at 8:30am. Thesolid brick chimney fell and shattered on the driveway like a plastic Lego building falling apart. The screeching sound of the digger's claws scraping against the steel roof echoed through the quiet valley as children walked to school and people went off to work. Kaye Finlayson, her husband David and their three children, were not there to watch their family home be demolished. "It's just too upsetting. It's a home to us, not just a building," she said, just prior to the demolition starting. It is the fifth Tauranga house to have been torn down as a result of being condemned after May's devastating floods. For the Finlayson family, it was the end of their home but a new beginning has risen above the rubble. Mrs Finlayson said her prayers had been answered with the demolition of the three bedroom spanish-styled house. "It's closure for us. It's a new day and a new beginning." For nine weeks the family has been renting a house in Matua. But the day the steep bank - less than 10m away from the home - slipped away, is still vivid. "I was in the kitchen when I looked out the window to see the bank falling away. "I rang 111 and then just got out," Mrs Finlayson said. The house was not actually damaged during the floods but engineers have deemed unstable the ground it stands on. The family was able to clear out their belongings and on the weekend went to the house, where they have lived since 2000, to say goodbye. Two neighbouring houses remain empty, precariously balanced above the slip that also slammed into two homes below on Vale St. Rod Jones of Page Transport, who was responsible for today's operation, said it would take most of the day to clear the house. "We'll knock it all down in a big pile, scrunch it up and take it away." Mr Jones said the double-storey house was a sturdy home and would be a lot of work to remove. The house was one of 39 properties written off by the Tauranga City Council and its geotechnical engineers. No other demolitions are planned in the near future.
