Gardener's vegetable patch 'shredded' by Hawke's Bay hailstorm

Kereru resident Emily Hunter was saddened to arrive home and find her veggie garden had been destroyed in a localised hailstorm. Photo / Emily Hunter

All hail broke loose on Friday evening when a hail and thunderstorm tore through parts of rural Hawke's Bay.

Emily Hunter, of Kereru, about 50km east of Hastings, came home to find her veggie garden, heaving with produce ready for picking, had been decimated by the hailstorm.

"That veggie garden is just shredded to pieces - it's wiped out.

While used to the occasional thunderstorm, she said this was like nothing she'd ever experienced before - the hailstones measured about 2cm across and covered the ground.

The large hailstones ripped through Emily Hunter's garden, "shredding" established plants like her rhubarb. Photo / Emily Hunter

It was especially disappointing for Hunter who had spent time and money on the seedlings.

"Everything was looking so lush.

"We'll just have to see what pulls through.

"At least it wasn't in Hastings and destroying people's businesses."

She said the "freak" storm seemed contained to just their area.

Fellow Kereru resident Kate Dempsey watched as the front moved towards them with the sun on one side of her house and dark clouds on the other.

The hailstones, which measured 2cm across, were unlike anything Kereru resident Emily Hunter had seen before. Photo / Emily Hunter

She said the area had had its fair share of evening thunderstorms in recent weeks.

"It seemed very localised."

She said she knew hail was coming as the clouds had the signature "bluey-green tinge".

While it only lasted about 10 or 15 minutes, the hailstones were about the size of macadamia nuts, she said.

"Thankfully we didn't receive any damage other than a couple of tomato plants.

"It's definitely the most we've seen here for a while."

The hailstorm also created chaos on some Hawke's Bay roads, where it fell as thick as about 10cm. Photo / Emily Hunter

Hunter, who was left picking up the literal pieces over the weekend, still managed to find a silver lining in the incident.

"We have gotten a lot of rain, which was good because things were getting pretty dry.

"Kereru was one of the worst-hit areas of the drought.

"So all the rain has been great."