Cyclone Tam: Kiwis react to torn off roofs, downed trees, smashed coastline

• A fallen tree came within minutes of injuring an Auckland mother and daughter when it fell on their car.
• An elderly couple were trapped in their home by a fallen tree.
• MetService warns of continued strong winds and heavy rain across the North Island.

Power cuts, falling trees and near misses plagued Auckland and Northland residents when Cyclone Tam rolled across the top of the North Island.

An elderly couple were trapped in their Mairangi Bay home after a tree fell on to their property overnight during the wild weather.

Leanne Kidd said that at 4am the neighbour’s tree fell on her family home, where her parents, who are in their 80s, live.

An elderly couple were trapped in their Mairangi Bay home after a tree fell on to their property overnight due to winds from Cyclone Tam. Photo / Jason Dorday

The tree narrowly missed her parents’ bedroom but badly damaged a balcony on the Honeysuckle Lane property.

Firefighters spent the morning cutting the tree loose with a chainsaw.

“They’re a bit worried it might collapse on them,” Kidd told the Herald.

“The balcony of the house is barely staying up under the weight of the tree, which has pulled down guttering and tiles off the roof.”

In downtown Auckland, the storm disrupted the holidays of thousands of international cruise ship passengers.

The Royal Princess cruise ship couldn’t depart this morning after wild weather forced it to remain in port.

The 5600-capacity ship is berthed at Princess Wharf as part of a 19-day cruise from Sydney to Honolulu.

The latest on Cyclone Tam from our team out in Auckland. Stay safe out there everyone. pic.twitter.com/iIS8XfiL0D

— nzherald (@nzherald) April 16, 2025

It was set to stop in American Samoa next, but will skip that due to the delayed departure.

“Regretfully, [the] Princess will no longer call to Pago Pago, American Samoa on Saturday, 19 April as part of our repositional voyage to North America,” said Princess Cruises’ PR director, Asia Pacific, Meg Koffel.

Cyclone Tam hits Takapuna Beach. Photo / Michael Craig

An Auckland mother is “relieved but shaken” after a tree fell on a car just minutes after her 10-year-old daughter left the vehicle.

North Shore resident Esme Barber said her young daughter and her babysitter had just arrived when the tree fell.

“They had parked momentarily to go inside the house to get a few bits, and they were just coming out and it sounded like a really loud noise,” she said.

“Then they got out and ... Yeah, a massive tree on the car. So glad they weren’t inside [the car], that would’ve been terrifying.”

Garry Turner's fence came crashing down with a bang during Cyclone Tam this afternoon. Photo / Supplied

North Shore resident Garry Turner said his large boundary fence “completely collapsed” in today’s high winds.

Turner said the wind was playing havoc on his property in Windsor Park this afternoon when he heard a “loud bang”.

He said his wife went outside for a walk when she discovered the downed fence.

A pole at a pedestrian crossing in Auckland came down during the worst of Tam today.

An Aucklander who asked not to be named said: “We heard a loud bang and looked to see what the noise was. We saw the street light by the pedestrian crossing had blown over in the wind on Marua Rd.”

A pole at a pedestrian crossing in Auckland came down during the worst of ex-tropical Cyclone Tam today. Photo / Supplied

David Williams is an Auckland-based multimedia journalist who joined the Herald in 2023. He covers breaking news and general topics.