The community is rallying around the rescuers and families caught up in the Mount Maunganui slip.
Six people are unaccounted for after a landslide from Mauao hit the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park and Mount Hot Pools on Thursday morning.
Teams of responders are working around the clock in unstable conditions to reach those believed to have been trapped.
Offers of accommodation, free food and drinks, prayers and more for those affected are coming from around the region.
Mount locals Rachel and her daughter, Brooke Baldwin – a Mount Maunganui College student - arrived in Pilot Bay with armloads of muffins for the rescuers on Friday afternoon.
“We just felt, you know, there’s people from all over New Zealand are coming to help us and we can’t survey the ground … but what we can do is bake and we can offer our support with kai," Rachel said.
They wanted to show “how much we appreciate them and our gratitude for everyone”, Rachel said.
They made a variety of muffins - lemon and poppy seed, blueberry - and some other “sweet treats”.
Brooke said it was “so difficult seeing this tragedy happen so close to our house”, and for the community to have to deal with that.
“We use those hot pools and we can walk around the Mount … it’s devastating for our community.”
They said their hearts went out to those who were missing loved ones.
The Rapid Response Team’s trained volunteers have been working in shifts making meals for rescuers at Pilot Bay since Thursday night.
Team leader Doug Sobey said the group had done this during other natural disasters, including Cyclone Gabrielle, and approached emergency services after hearing of the Mount tragedy.
He said the people involved in the search were working long and hard.
“The best we can do is to help support them, provide them refreshments, provide them a good quality meal so they can get refreshed, have a break, and then get back into it.”
He said the searchers had shown “huge dedication” to finding the lost people.
“They don’t give up.”
The group was connected to the Plymouth Brethren Christian Church and was able to offer the meals free thanks to donations.
The Little Big Markets director Rachelle Duffy said she and her team were devastated by the tragedy on Mauao.
It had cancelled its markets in Mount Maunganui and Whangamatā this weekend and would instead be providing free coffee and kai for frontline workers, volunteers and the families directly involved.
“Out of respect for the whānau affected by what’s happened on Mauao, we have decided to focus our efforts where the community needs it the most.”
Duffy said they have teamed up with market vendors, including Oshie & G’s and Pipi’s ice cream, and with Mount New World and Little Drum Coffee also donating milk, coffee beans and food.
“Our hearts are with all of the families affected by this horrific event. Let’s do what we do best as a community and wrap our arms around them in any way we can.”
She said they had received so many donations of food from the generous community that they would also be donating food to weather-affected whānau in Welcome Bay, via a local marae.
Morgan Sayle and her husband Nick operate The Burger Lab, and are often based at the Omanu Surf Club.
They put out an offer on Facebook for anyone involved in the rescue to come and have a free burger and chips, from 4.30pm on Friday.
Sayle said they “have kids themselves” and appreciate the work of the responders who have been trying to rescue those trapped, particularly those who’d been doing hard work all through the night.
“We can’t do a lot, but here’s a free cheeseburger and chips to those who have helped. It’s all we can do and it’s what we’d like to do,” Sayle said.
Sayle added that having grown up at the Mount, it “hit hard” seeing “something like this” happen there.
A Maunganui Rd bach owner said she had offered her place to Civil Defence.
The woman, who did not want to be named, lives in Tauranga, said she did not want to stay in the bach at the moment and would like it used by someone who needs it.
She said she thought lots of people were making similar offers.
“I’m desperate to have people there, I feel I can do, you know, it’s some tiny thing I can do.”
She said the community had been hugely affected by the event.
“The mountain’s my home and my mountain and I climb it every Thursday, at 8.30am. But yesterday I didn’t.”
Pāpāmoa bar and restaurant Papa Mo’s was putting on a pay-what-you-can Relief Keg on Sunday afternoon, along with a barbecue and raffles, with all proceeds donated to families affected by the Mauao tragedy.
Papa Mo’s owner Luke van Veen said the idea was for people to pay what they could afford for a pint of beer from the keg, which had been donated by Good George Brewing, until it was out.
“It is kind of an old-school hospo thing. It’s the event you never want to have to do because it means a disaster has happened, but it’s our way of giving back.
“A lot of people want to help but feel like their $20 or $50 isn’t going to make much of a difference, but if we can put it in a pot then all of a sudden the community has raised thousands.”
Van Veen said it was a tragedy that had happened “so close to home”.
“This is literally our community. It’s about rallying our community to do our small bit to help those affected.”
Tauranga MP Sam Uffindell said he and Bay of Plenty MP Tom Rutherford had been contacted with offers of support from the community.
Tauranga City Council emergency management duty controller Gareth Wallis said the council wanted to thank the many people in the community who had offered help and support.
He said it was important people followed the guidance from the agencies involved in the response.
“It’s especially important that people keep their distance from the scene as this could interfere with rescue efforts.”
He said anyone wanting to donate can contact the Acorn Foundation NZ at info@acornfoundation.org.nz or acornfoundation.org.nz.