Napier flooding: Rear of house wrecked in Havelock Rd slip

The entire back part of the neighbouring house on Lucknow Terrace has been destroyed by a slip on a Havelock Road property above. Photo / Paul Taylor

Lucknow Terrace - lucky by name but not by nature, for one home owner.

The owner of a Lucknow Terrace property said he "panicked" after hearing a slip slammed into his property on Monday, but he was also relieved the home was empty.

About 5pm on Monday a slip at Chris Dale's property on Havelock Rd wrecked his deck as a chunk of land the size of a tennis court disappeared down a bank.

The resulting slip slid about 20m down the hill, taking with it trees and a shed.

The debris ended up at a property below on Lucknow Tce, wrecking the back garden and back of the house.

The owner of the lower property, who did not wish to be named, said walls were broken after mud and debris smashed through the rental property.

Debris and mud have come through the walls of the house on Lucknow Terrace. Photo / Supplied

Damage to the kitchen of the property. Photo / Supplied

After taking a call from a neighbour, the owner arrived to find parts of the house were wrecked. Thankfully, the house was empty as there was no current tenant.

"I just got panicked but when I saw the damage at the back I was satisfied because no one was hurt, there was no one in the property at the time," the owner said.

"There was peace of mind. Damage has happened which I feel sad about but I'm happy because no one was there.

"[With] how much debris came down if there was someone in the laundry, the kitchen or upstairs sitting near, there's big damage there."

He said the kitchen, laundry, bathroom, hallway and living area at the back end of the house have all been damaged.

The laundry is entirely "gone" completely filled with debris.

After the slip occurred there was so much mud on the stairs that the owner could not get up to inspect the upstairs rooms.

The day after he was able to get upstairs to find some damage in a room but other rooms at the front end of the house are okay.

An upstairs area of the house has also been damaged. Photo / Supplied

A slip the size of a tennis court on Chris Dale's property damaged the back of a property below on Lucknow Terrace. Photo / Warren Buckland

He said he is "grateful" to have insurance. The property is yet to be assessed in terms of damage, and how long it might be inhabitable.

On Tuesday residents near Carlyle St at the lower end of Lucknow Terrace spent the day clearing mud from the street.

Residents told Hawke's Bay Today the street had turned into a river during Monday's flooding.