Tornado tears through Mangawhai, homes damaged, power could be out for days
A Mangawhai resident has been hospitalised after severe winds tore open their home and threw them out of the top storey.
“They were asleep on the second storey of their house,” said a neighbour to the property on Old Waipu Road.
“And apparently the tornado just came through and ripped them across and she ended up on the roof of their carport.”
The woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The neighbour said the property was a “write-off”.
His own home and the cars in the driveway had also been badly damaged, he said.
“Our garage is punctured outwards, every window is pretty much shattered, glass littered everywhere, our outdoor furniture is non-existent, it’s probably at some other place down the road.”
He said they had expected bad weather but the forecast did not indicate how severe the storm would be.
“It is something I’ve never experienced before, it was horrible.”
STORY CONTINUES AFTER LIVEBLOG
Todd Murray
'Outdoor furniture was smashing through our kitchen glass'
Todd Murray
A Mangawhai resident was forced to leap into his walk-in wardrobe when a tornado ploughed through his house.
Nick Berthoud told the Herald they woke up to heavy rain and wind.
"We opened up our front curtain to watch the lightning strike and before you knew it, the rain had stopped and there was a really eerie feeling," he said.
He said that moment was when the tornado struck.
"It sounded like a turbine starting up and getting louder and louder and louder.
"Before you knew it, our outdoor furniture was smashing through our kitchen glass. Debris from other houses was flying about.
"It was hectic and scary."
Berthoud said they couldn't find a table under which to hide.
"I grabbed the wife and jumped into our walk-in wardrobe which has no windows luckily," he said.
"We pretty much just crouched in the corner, waiting for it to pass."
As soon as the storm had ended, Berthoud and his wife screamed down the hallway to see if their child was safe.
He initially couldn't see what was happening in his neighbour's house until he heard screaming from the top floor.
"When I heard the screams, I jumped over the fence and called 111."
Treat power lines as live, District Council warns
Todd Murray
Kaipara District Council reiterated that multiple hazards remain, and told people not to cut, move or touch power lines and "treat all lines as live".
The council said Molesworth Drive and a section of Moir St is now open to traffic, but only travel in the area if you need to.
Moir St between Insley St and Kagan Ave/Mangawhai Domain remains closed with an active police cordon in place, as does Old Waipu Rd.
Northpower gives power outage update
Todd Murray
Northpower said tonight that power would be restored in the Mori St area at about midnight, but power is likely to be out until 5pm Monday in the Old Waipu Rd area, where much of the damage has occurred.
"If you have damage on the line from the network to your property this will take longer as our crews turn their attention to these service lines following restoration of the main lines."
Please do not cut any service lines away, this is only going to make the job longer. Remember – treat all lines and equipment as live at all times, Northpower said in a statement.
The power company also said fibre remains out in the wider Mangawahai area with only the village restored.
"Teams are working on this and we estimate fibre restoration around 9pm. If fibre is not up and running at your place after 9 pm, please call your retailer."
Residents who cut power lines cause delays
Todd Murray
A handful of Mangawhai residents are reportedly causing delays in restoring power to the tornado-damaged Northland town.
Northland MP Grant McCallum says the whole village was due to be back on by about midnight, but there've been a few snags.
McCallum says, in some cases people are cutting the power lines lying across driveways, so some lines won't be on till 5pm tomorrow.
Strong wind gusts wreaked havoc in Mangawhai at about 3 o'clock this morning, leading to thousands of power outages.
Todd Murray
Todd Murray
Todd Murray
Todd Murray
Todd Murray
Todd Murray
Todd Murray
Fire and Emergency speak about the Mangawhai tornado
Todd Murray
Shed dismantled by tornado
Ebba Strand
A backyard shed in a Mangawhai property was dismantled by the tornado but the gear inside largely remains intact.
The owner of the Kedge Dr property said the sides and roof lifted off by the fierce wind and were thrown over the water tank behind it.
Update from Fire and Emergency NZ
Ebba Strand
Fire and Emergency NZ district manager Wipari Henwood said it was very difficult to get a gauge on the storm at 3 o’clock in the morning, saying in the morning houses had their roofs lifted, trees were down all over the places “snapped like twigs”.
Concrete power poles had all been snapped at the base, and down everywhere, describing the damage as traumatic for residents.
Henwood said the initial call was followed by about 30 calls all coming in at once.
“When our crews were trying to make their way to the Mangawhai Fire Station, they encountered power lines down and trees down across the road, especially in Molesworth Drive, which you have to traverse to get to the station.”
He said the station chief was short-staffed and began calling for more resources across the region, bringing in teams from the north and south to target areas from different roads and speed up access for affected residents.
The fire chief said there were safety concerns for the emergency works with difficulties investigating the extent of the damage and reaching homes.
50 damaged homes and buildings
Ebba Strand
Around 50 homes and buildings have been damaged - some extensively - by a tornado that ripped through Mangawhai earlier today.
Kaipara Civil Defence Emergency Management controller John Burt said the township was dealing with extensive damage from the twister that touched down around 3am.
He said trees and powerlines had also been toppled in the storm, causing extensive damage in the Mangawhai village area.
He urged people to keep safe and remain well away from contractors who where working to restore power and clear damage.
"And the people that don't live in the area, if they could stay away.
"They're not helping the contractors to get on and make the area available."
He urged people to stay home and where this was not possible due to storm damage to stay with family and friends.
He hoped later today people would be able to return to the worst affected area.
Ebba Strand
Officials to meet at 1pm
Ebba Strand
Officials are due to meet for a briefing at 1pm at Mangawhai's command centre to discuss how to deal with the aftermath of the tornado.
Teams are currently surveying the extent of the damage using drones to assess the full impact across the township.
Northland MP Grant McCallum said there were now only small parts of the township without power. These streets had sustained the worst of the impact and were "heavily damaged".
He said Northpower were now reporting just 247 customers without power and expecting electricity to be restored by midnight to everyone.
"This is quite remarkable given the extent of the damage."
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Back in October 2023, NZ Herald science writer Jamie Morton joined The Front Page podcast to discuss the increasing threat strong winds are posing to New Zealand. You can listen to it here:
Ebba Strand
Emergency alert from Civil Defence
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Simeon Brown briefed on the situation in Mangawhai
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
'Pretty scary': Local saw tornado pulling through the village
Ebba Strand
Mangawhai local Jacob Reilly described the tornado as “pretty scary”.
The Moir St resident woke about 4am to his dog barking and got up to close his garage door when he saw the tornado pulling through Mangawhai village. It resulted in “carnage” with trees and powerlines down and flooding.
“We were walking through ankle-deep water that there was a powerline down too.”
Reilly said he was also in Mangawhai when there was a tornado on Cove Rd about 4 years ago, plus flooding in early 2023.
“Everyone knows Mangawhai gets these weird little weather patterns but to actually get a tornado rip through like this is pretty scary.”
Reilly was thankful his property was not damaged, despite iron and other debris being blown around.
Ebba Strand
Mangawhai was 'full' when 'totally unpredictable' storm hit
Ebba Strand
Mayor Craig Jepson said Mangawhai was "full" at the time of the storm. The population of around 6000 grew to around 10,000 for the holiday weekend.
While that presented some challenges, the worst of the damage appeared to be isolated to an area near the village, he said. Residents and visitors were still able to travel on either side of cordons at the village.
Power had been restored in some parts of the township but infrastructure repairs in the village were expected to take some time. Around 20 power poles had fallen.
Jepson said that while thunderstorms were forecast for the area, it was difficult to predict tornadoes and he did not believe the community could have been better warned.
"These tornado events, we had one four years ago, are totally unpredictable and it's just one of those things that occur. It's pretty freakish, a one-off."
Ebba Strand
David Parker lives in Avocado Lane, Mangawhai and shared a photo of the aftermath.
"Among other debris from in my yard from last night's tornado found this sign which I understand came from the sign writing business in Old Waipu Rd some 3 or more ks away 'as the crow flies'.
Main street closed
Ebba Strand
Moir St, the main street in Mangawhai village, is closed as power crews work to restore the powerlines. Debris is strewn over the road and fences are down.
Police are being kept busy controlling residents and visitors, as the seaside community is bustling with visitors due to Northland and Auckland Anniversary Weekend.
Langs Beach resident: 'It was almost sideways rain'
Ebba Strand
A Langs Beach resident in a neighbouring seaside settlement north of where the tornado touched down said a violent thunderstorm lit up the skies for several hours overnight keeping everyone awake in their house.
"It was almost sideways rain," she said.
This morning power had been cut to the beach. However, power was restored to properties around 10.30am.
The resident, on holiday in the north from Auckland, said no one slept well in her house due to the tumultuous weather.
It appeared beach properties at the Langs settlement had come through unscathed, she said.
Hundreds of homes still affected by outages
Ebba Strand
480 homes are affected by outages now, according to Northpower's website. Earlier this morning, the electricity company said they had reduced the customers affected from 4730 to over 1000.
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
'Stay home': Residents and holidaymakers warned
Ebba Strand
Residents and holidaymakers in Mangawhai are being warned to stay put with fears many of the downed power lines may pose a danger.
Northland MP Grant McCallum has headed to the town's emergency control centre where plans are being put in place to survey the area and work out next steps.
"We want people to stay home because we've got power lines down - approximately 20 poles are down - we've got numerous trees down, parts of Mangawhai have no power."
He said the tornado had struck at a time when the holiday hotspot was filled with people from out of town.
"This being an anniversary weekend, the town is full. This is a holiday destination as well as a lot of residents and there's a lot of people up here for the weekend so I really feel for them.
"But the main thing is I want them to stay safe and stay away from the powerlines and treat them as all live at all times."
He hadn't personally surveyed the damage but the emergency management team was in the process of getting an overall gauge of the damage and making plans.
Ebba Strand
Woman asleep in bed sucked out of top storey of her home
Ebba Strand
A Mangawhai resident has been hospitalised after severe winds tore open their home and threw them out of the top storey.
“They were asleep on the second storey of their house,” said a neighbour to the property on Old Waipu Road.
“And apparently the tornado just came through and ripped them across and she ended up on the roof of their carport.”
The woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The neighbour said the property was a “write-off”. His own home and the cars in the driveway had also been badly damaged, he said.
“Our garage is punctured outwards, every window is pretty much shattered, glass littered everywhere, our outdoor furniture is non-existent, it’s probably at some other place down the road.”
He said they had expected bad weather but the forecast did not indicate how severe the storm would be.
“It is something I’ve never experienced before, it was horrible.”
Homes turned into ruined shells
Ebba Strand
Homes are now nothing but ruined shells, with household possessions tossed across the neighbourhood.
In one of the worst-hit properties, walls have caved in after the roof was ripped off.
An upturned table and few cushions remain in what was once a living area.
Another home hit by the fierce winds has been left with tiles peeled back from its roof while other properties in the street have had fences collapse.
Roofs ripped away
Ebba Strand
Daylight has revealed the fury and destructive force of the early morning tornado with a number of homes on a ridge-top street left gutted and exposed to the elements.
Upper levels have been sheared off and roofs ripped away.
Lawns and surrounding property are littered with debris from the modern homes.
In one instance a vehicle remains parked on the front driveway, appearing to have come through intact.
One double garage has been left with nothing but its facade, with much of its structure left splintered by the force of the wind.
A metal roller door dangles precariously, wrenched from its fitting.
Ebba Strand
Tree crushes garage in wild weather
Ebba Strand
Alan Preston, a local musician and an Insley St resident, posted photos online of the damage to his property.
“At 3am another tempest smashed down our huge Liquid-Amber tree that I've been watching withstand every cyclone and storm - from my back door - for many years,” he said.
“The house was built in 1914 and the tree was probably planted in the 1960s.
“Fortunately it didn't fall towards the house. Unfortunately, it fell towards the garage.”
Resident: 'Like a train going through'
Ebba Strand
Mangawhai resident John Bell said the noise was unbelievable when the tornado hit last night. The area where he lives has suffered a lot of damage.
"It was like a train going through. You could hear furniture getting thrown around. The rain was horrendous.
"The house was shaking [from the wind].
"You just think of the neighbours, their trampoline's gone missing. The portaloo from the house getting constructed next door is in someone's backyard. Trees uprooted... it's just terrible."
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
The community is pulling together in the aftermath of the tornado. One woman posted online that her husband had gone out to check on neighbours while another was making hot drinks for those in need on her BBQ.
Man flown to Auckland City Hospital in a serious condition
Ebba Strand
The Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter crew was tasked earlier this morning to Mangawhai to assist a male patient following the tornado.
"The patient was flown to Auckland City Hospital in a serious condition," a spokeswoman said.
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Pharmacy update
Ebba Strand
The Mangawhai Pharmacy will be open from 10am-2pm today.
"If anyone need anything urgently from the pharmacy. Please pm us (on Facebook messenger) or email mangawhaipharmacy@gmail.com and we can we can do our best to help," they said.
Mayor: Could be days before electricity is restored
Ebba Strand
Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson, who lives in Mangawhai, said the damage to power infrastructure was extensive and it could be several days before electricity was restored to the Mangawhai village.
He said it would also require significant work to clear trees from roads, which were currently preventing travel around the community. Some houses that had roofs damaged would also need to be “shored up” until repairs could be carried out.
“The severity of [the storm] is that we had the top storey of one house completely lifted off with the occupants in it. So it would have been a terrifying experience.”
Ebba Strand
Ebba Strand
Powerlines knocked down
Ebba Strand
Police assisting
Ebba Strand
Police are assisting with tornado-related incidents in Mangawhai township and the roading network in the area.
Two people seriously injured
Ebba Strand
Two patients are being transported to hospitals, both in serious conditions. One patient is transported to Auckland City Hospital by helicopter, while the other is transported to the Northshore Hospital by road ambulance.
Hato Hone St John was notified of the incident in Mangawhai at 3.01am, dispatching one helicopter, four ambulances, one manager and two rapid response vehicles.
Camper: 'Massive wind surge hit and ripped away our gazebo'
Ebba Strand
One camper staying in a tent at Mangawhai Heads said he was woken by the intense lightning around 2am, then the rain and wind started to pick up.
"I went outside to check our campsite when a massive wind surge hit and ripped away our gazebo, I grabbed it before it flew into other tents and yelled for my brother-in-law who raced out to help. That’s when other people started coming out to secure their sites.
"A few minutes later it became very calm, not a breath of wind and the rain stopped."
'It was like an earthquake'
Ebba Strand
Dianne Hope-Ede, from Auckland, said she and her husband were sleeping in their motorhome at a property in Mangawhai when the storm struck.
“It was terrifying. The wind was just getting louder and louder … then there was a crash, it was like an earthquake. A tree had fallen down and harpooned the top of the motorhome. It came through right where [my partner’s] head was a moment ago.”
Another tree limb crashed through the side of the motorhome.
When they went outside, large trees had fallen around the property and the neighbour’s garage had been “stoved in”. Other homes had lost roofs, she said.
“It’s just massive. And now we’re stuck - the motorhome is absolutely munted.”
Ebba Strand
Fire crews respond to multiple calls after Mangawhai tornado
Ebba Strand
Fire and Emergency NZ is responding to multiple calls following the tornado.
Response Coordinator Graeme Quensell says firefighters from several brigades in the area are already at the scene assisting residents and other crews have been dispatched from Waitemata.
Incidents include roofs lifted from homes, fallen trees and downed powerlines.
About 16 calls have been received from Mangawhai and one from Langs Beach to the North.
An Incident Management Team has been established.
Graeme Quensell said that people in the area should make safety their first priority and wait until daylight to assess damage to their property. They should treat all power lines as live, and please avoid driving in the area so as not to hold up emergency services.
Northpower: Widespread outage
Ebba Strand
The electricity company Northpower updated their website overnight, saying that a widespread outage is "affecting all of our network" due to the tornado damaging property and power lines in the wider Mangawhai Area.
"We are currently assessing the situation and will update the information when we can. Please treat all lines and equipment as LIVE at all times."
Tornado hits Mangawhai
Sophie Ryan
STORY CONTINUES
The Northland community of Mangawhai could be without power for several days after tornado-like winds tore through the region, lifting roofs and downing trees.
Two people were seriously injured when the severe storm hit the beachside town just before 3am and others were rescued from damaged homes by Fire and Emergency. A large number of visitors were in the area for the holiday weekend.
The storm also struck Waipu and Ruakākā, though Mangawhai appeared to be worst-hit.
Daylight has revealed the fury and destructive force of the early morning tornado with a number of homes on ridge-top street Old Waipu Rd left gutted and exposed to the elements.
Upper levels have been sheared off and roofs ripped away.
Lawns and surrounding property is littered with debris from the modern homes.
Kaipara Mayor Craig Jepson told the Herald that the damage to power infrastructure was extensive.
Jepson, who lives in Mangawhai, said Northpower had told him that two phases of the electricity infrastructure had been damaged. By 11am power was restored to all but 480 homes - surrounding the Mangawhai village.
“It might take them a couple of days to get the Mangawhai village back up. That tells you that the damage is pretty extensive.”
Jepson said it would also require significant work to clear trees from roads, which were currently preventing travel around the community. Some houses which had roofs damaged would also need to be “shored up” until repairs could be carried out.
“The severity of [the storm] is that we had the top storey of one house completely lifted off with the occupants in it. So it would have been a terrifying experience.”
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said they were responding to multiple calls after a “reported tornado” around 3am this morning brought trees down, lifted roofs and damaged buildings.
Two people were taken to hospital in a serious condition, one to Auckland Hospital via helicopter and another by ambulance to North Shore Hospital.
Response co-ordinator Graeme Quensell said firefighters from several brigades in the area were assisting residents and other crews had been dispatched from Auckland.
So far, they had received around 16 calls from Mangawhai and one from Langs Beach.
Northpower said on its website that 4730 homes are still without power in Mangawhai, Mangawhai Heads and Langs Beach.
“We have a widespread outage affecting all of our network due to a TORNADO damaging property and power lines in the wider Mangawhai Area,” Northpower said.
“We are currently assessing the situation and will update the information when we can. Please treat all lines and equipment as LIVE at all times. We apologise for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience.”
Quensell said that people in the area should wait until daylight to assess damage to their property. Residents should also avoid driving in the area emergency services are not held up.
Dianne Hope-Ede, from Auckland, said she and her husband were sleeping in their motorhome at a property in Mangawhai when the storm struck.
“It was terrifying. The wind was just getting louder and louder ... then there was a crash, it was like an earthquake. A tree had fallen down and harpooned the top of the motorhome. It came through right where [my partner’s] head was a moment ago.”
Another tree limb crashed through the side of the motorhome.
When they went outside, large trees had fallen around the property and the neighbour’s garage had been “stoved in”. Other homes had lost roofs, she said.
“It’s just massive. And now we’re stuck – the motorhome is absolutely munted.”
One camper staying in a tent at Mangawhai Heads said he was woken by the intense lightning around 2am, then the rain and wind started to pick up.
“I went outside to check our campsite when a massive wind surge hit and ripped away our gazebo, I grabbed it before it flew into other tents and yelled for my brother-in-law who raced out to help. That’s when other people started coming out to secure their sites.
“A few minutes later it became very calm, not a breath of wind and the rain stopped.”
Hato Hone St John was notified of the incident at 3.01am, dispatching one helicopter, four ambulances, one manager and two rapid response vehicles. The Major Incident Support Team (MIST) was on standby, it said.
Police said they were assisting with tornado-related incidents in Mangawhai township and the roading network in the area.
MetService said it could not identify whether it was a tornado as the radar wasn’t close enough to the area to pick it up, but there was a line of thunderstorms and strong gusts – which can be just as damaging as a small tornado.
More unsettled weather is forecast today, with thunderstorms possible in the top half of the North Island this morning and the lower half of the island in the afternoon. Heavy showers and rain are forecast for most of the country.
Metservice has issued heavy rain warnings today for Taranaki, the Tasman District west of Motueka, and Westland District. Up to 150mm of rain could fall in these regions before 6pm.
Sign up to The Daily H, a free newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.