Residents of a Paeroa caravan park were given a huge shock as a tornado swept through the Paeroa RV Centre.
The tornado caused extensive damage to vehicles, caravans, a modular home and infrastructure, and cut power to more than 500 local homes on Wednesday.
Eyewitnesses told the HC Post the tornado approached from a south-east direction, and about 1.55pm, a large vortex smashed through a tree at the rear of the Paeroa RV Centre located at 10 Coronation Street, before continuing its destructive path through the park, bowling over an aluminium fence, destroying motor home awnings and smashing the windows of two vehicles before ripping the roof off an office and garaging area.
The park has at least 50 permanent residents, many of whom were at home as the powerful wind, accompanied by heavy rain hit. Caretaker Chris told the HC Post he was “over in the laundry area and it just came straight past us - it was unbelievable”.
A gaping hole in the roof was allowing huge amounts of rain to leak into the park’s office area. The situation was brought under control initially by a local Fire and Emergency New Zealand crew and appliance, and then by roofing contractors.
“The Fire guys were here within five minutes,” said park treasurer Michelle McDonald, who added that they “just had the roof repaired ‘cos the building’s pretty old”.
A van’s side window was broken after being hit by flying debris, with caretaker Chris explaining, “It was side-on to the wind, and a piece of tin hit it”.
Jocelyn Hills, who lives permanently at the park, had her car’s rear window blown out.
Jocelyn said she was “sitting in the campervan and it just rocked and rocked, the back window of my car’s been broken, but in the scheme of things its not as bad as some of the other people here”.
A good Samaritan made a temporary repair to Jocelyn’s car with plastic sheeting.
Jocelyn pointed out other areas of the park that had been affected.
“All the side steps we walked up beside the blue and white bus, that’s all gone now.
“It was really scary, it was very localised and very strong and you could just hear it coming. It just started to rain really really hard then it turned into wind, and I kept yelling at it to stop! stop! stop! Then, all of a sudden it did, and then it pissed down really really hard. These people were lucky.”
A rear fence was uprooted and slammed up against a parked motorhome belonging to Elma and Ian from Ruakaka in Northland who were staying the day in Paeroa while in transit to Tauranga.
“We saw it coming, I said ‘that looks like a tornado coming’, the sky was black, it was frightening in here, I had to put the legs down and even then it was rocking, it smashed my TV aerial,” Ian said.
“It was the sound, it was like crash, bang, and things were flying everywhere and I was shit-scared we were going to roll over actually,” Elma said.
“I thought we were going to catch fire with the power, you know. It was a beauty all right.”
At the front of the park, a modular home understood to be owned by a couple who had just returned to Paeroa from a holiday in Tauranga, lay on its side, its interior strewn with shattered glass and household chattels.
The cleanup at the park is continuing.
