A hail of a good time

A freak hail storm struck Auckland yesterday, blanketing streets and backyards.

Parts of the city were hit by a sudden burst of hail, following heavy rain and thunderstorm warnings.

Bonnie Reid, 4, and her mother Angela Reid were on their way to pick up older brother Caesar, 6, from Baverstock Oaks School in Flatbush when the hail storm hit around 2.30pm.

"We were driving to school when it just started hailing so heavily.

"By the time we had parked down the road from school, it had stopped, but the whole street was just covered in white," Mrs Reid said.

"I said to Bonnie: 'Lets go have a little play'.

"She loved it. It was like snow - we made hail snowballs and threw them at each other. It was fun."