A storm over the Western Bay early today caused thousands of properties to lose power and one Tauranga family fearing they were being bombed after thunder blew out 11 windows in their house.
Powerco said electricity supply was cut to about 8500 properties in Omokoroa, Aongatete, Katikati and Kauri Point
from 3.55am.
In Greerton, residents on Jones St awoken by the thunder left their homes to find a tree and a Telecom plinth had been struck by lightning.
The sky was "lit up like daylight", one resident said.
Members of the Kino family thought their house had been bombed.
Windows were smashed; a wooden power pole, next to the Telecom plinth, was on fire; power was cut, and the property's water main pipe and metre had blown up.
Adelaide Kino said her nine-year-old Neapolitan Mastiff dog 'G' was so scared he tried to jump a fence to escape, hanging himself in the process.
"I've lived here 15 years and not had anything like that happen before. I thought someone was bombing us, we were freaking out," she said.
Ms Kino, who was at home with her daughter Stevie Kino, 20, son Taniko Allen, 16, and sister Ske, said on hearing the windows shatter the family ran out on to the street.
They went back inside after they saw the power pole on fire.
Greerton firefighters arrived soon afterwards and said the wires would need to be replaced.
"We ended up sleeping in the passage way, it was the only safe place," Ms Kino said.
Taniko said the thunder sounded like a shot gun going off outside his bedroom window.
