Newly released CCTV footage shows the moment a tornado touched down in Tauranga CBD, leaving a trail of destruction across the city.
The footage, released by Tauranga City Council, shows strong wind gusts and driving rain sweeping through central Tauranga as the tornado struck about 1.30am on April 19.
At the intersection of Cameron Rd and Hamilton St, powerful gusts helped push heavy rain along the road, sending road cones and roadwork signs tumbling towards Spring St.
Real estate signs were overturned while leaves and debris skidded across the road, creating dangerous conditions for pedestrians and vehicles.
Pedestrians were seen running for shelter beneath shop overhangs as the visibility deteriorated in the intense winds and rain.
At the corner of Hamilton and Durham Sts, road signs, cones and other loose objects were hurled along the street and debris was strewn outside the Kingsview Resort and Towers hotel.
A four-wheel drive vehicle travelling through the area was forced to suddenly stop after a table flew past and was hurled along the road before it skidded out of view.
The footage shows low visibility and hazardous conditions as the tornado moved through the CBD and headed to other parts of the city.
Damage was reported across Ōtūmoetai, Maungatapu, Welcome Bay and the Tauranga CBD.
Six Tauranga properties have since been deemed too dangerous or insanitary to occupy by the council.
Maungatapu mother Hotu Frew and her children were displaced after their 1970s-built four-bedroom home was severely damaged.
The council issued Frew’s home a dangerous building notice on April 22.
She earlier told the Bay of Plenty Times herinsurer advised it would take a minimum of two months before the outcome of her insurance claim was known. This was now expected to take three months, Frew said, and the roof on the sunroom of her home was recently pulled down.
“I’m gutted that one of the things that the tornado took out was my security camera monitor and the server, as I was hoping I could view the images of when it struck our home.”
Frew and her children were now living in a four-bedroom Airbnb in Bethlehem, and her insurance was covering the rental costs. She said the location was not ideal, but few rental options were available.
She said she understood the insurance companies were “under pressure” from this year’s weather.
“I think the insurance company needs a little more time to complete its assessment. I have to trust the process will end in the best outcome for myself and my whānau, but I don’t expect miracles.
“I know other people who have also suffered significant losses and have had to wait longer.”
The council posted a video on social media showing snippets of the CCTV footage along with descriptions of the damage and clean-up operations from arborist Mark Armistead.
In the video, Armistead described the path the tornado took as it travelled from the CBD across the water to Maungatapu.
He said the tornado skirted the edge of the esplanade, damaging pōhutakawa trees, then crossed the highway and over the top of the Maungatapu peninsula.
It then travelled down through Rotary Park and across to Tye Park in Welcome Bay.
Armistead said tree debris was found throughout this area.Whole trees had been blown over or ripped apart, including a strip of trees about 60 metres long on Welcome Bay Rd.
Some of the destruction looked as though “great hands” had come down, grabbed the base and top of a tree, twisted parts of it off and thrown them away, he said.
“Some of the pieces were about 10m to 15m, or even up to 30m, from where the original tree was.”
Armistead told the Bay of Plenty Times most of the clean‑up work had been completed, and Tye Park had reopened.
“Some remaining non‑urgent work is still to be carried out and will be completed alongside normal business‑as‑usual operations,” he said.
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.