People in Whanganui's Alexander Library thought there had been a car accident when the building suddenly shook; instead they discovered a massive branch had fallen from a tree outside.
Lynley Fowler was in the heritage library on Tuesday afternoon, January 9, when she heard "a rushing noise".
"Then there was a thump and then the building shook," Ms Fowler said.
"At first I thought there'd been an accident down on the corner but when I started heading out to have a look I saw the tree and you could smell it."
The branch belonged to a large macrocarpa which is protected in the Whanganui District Plan. It stands alongside the path that runs from Cameron Tce to Queens Park.