A devastating series of landslides triggered by unprecedented rainfall has wreaked havoc on New Zealand's North Island, with multiple children reported missing after a catastrophic slip destroyed a popular coastal holiday park.
Holiday Park Obliterated in Early Morning Disaster
The Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park was completely devastated when a massive landslide swept through the campsite in the early hours of Thursday morning. Dramatic footage captured caravans, tents, vehicles, and toilet amenities being flattened by the torrent of mud and debris as the hillside gave way.
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell confirmed that "at least one young girl" is among those unaccounted for, with Police Superintendent Tim Anderson stating the number of missing people remains in "single figures." Rescue workers have reported no signs of life at the campsite as desperate search efforts continue through the night.
Heroic Actions Before Tragedy
In a heartbreaking twist, a woman who heroically warned fellow campers of the impending danger at 5am later became trapped herself when the hillside completely collapsed several hours later. Witnesses described how she frantically pulled campers from their beds to alert them to the danger, allowing many to begin evacuating.
"I just want you to know that one of the women that's in that shower block, she was a hero," an anonymous witness told the New Zealand Herald. "She went around at 5 o'clock this morning and she got us all out of bed and she woke us all up so that we could move out... and she's not out."
The amenities block where she and several others were trapped was completely buried in the landslip, with rescuers reporting terrified screams for help that fell silent after approximately fifteen minutes. The mangled structure landed on top of caravans twenty metres from its original position, and no one has yet been rescued from the rubble.
Separate Slide Claims Two Lives
In a separate incident earlier the same morning, another landslide struck a house in the Welcome Bay community at 4.50am, resulting in two fatalities. Two people managed to escape the property, but emergency services recovered the bodies of two individuals who were trapped inside hours later.
Later that morning, emergency services were called to the second major slide at the base of Mount Maunganui, where the holiday park was located. The campground has since been completely evacuated, with authorities urging the public to avoid the area as search operations intensify.
Tourists Describe Terrifying Ordeal
Australian tourist Sonny Worrall from Newcastle, NSW, was among dozens of holidaymakers caught in the chaos, describing it as the scariest moment of his life. He was swimming in nearby hot pools when he heard a tree crack.
"I looked behind me, and there was a huge landslide coming down," he told TVNZ. "I turned around, and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run. Looking behind me, there was a caravan coming right behind me. It all happened in a flash. I was fearing for my life. People were panicking everywhere."
Other witnesses described hearing "rolling thunder and cracking of trees" before seeing "the whole hillside gave way." Fisherman Alister Hardy reported seeing "people running and screaming, and I saw people get bowled. There are people trapped."
Rescue Efforts Continue Through the Night
Fire and Emergency NZ commander William Park told reporters that rescue operations would continue "right through [the night] until we've rescued everyone." He described the scene as "a complex and high-risk environment" following "a significant landslip" where "the priority was life safety."
Rescue efforts ramped up on Thursday afternoon with the police dog squad joining search teams. Mark Tangney, among the first rescuers on scene, described hearing screams and seeing holidaymakers fleeing the campground.
"There were six or eight other guys there on the roof of the toilet block with tools just trying to take the roof off because we could hear people screaming 'help us, help us, get us out of here'," Mr Tangney told the New Zealand Herald. "We went hard for about half an hour, and after 15 minutes, the people that were trapped, we couldn't hear them anymore."
Widespread Weather Chaos
The disaster follows record-breaking rainfall that has battered New Zealand's North Island, with Tauranga—the closest city to Mount Maunganui—receiving 295mm of rain in just thirty hours leading up to 6am on Thursday. Meteorologists MetService issued a rare red weather warning for a "threat to life" in several regions, with a state of local emergency declared in five areas across Northland and the East Cape.
Minister Mitchell told RNZ that sections of the east coast resembled "a war zone," with helicopters deployed to rescue families sheltering on rooftops from flooding. Thousands of people in Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Tairawhiti were left without power following the storm and widespread flooding.
In Warkworth near Auckland, a man in his forties was swept away in his car in the swollen Mahurangi River, though a passenger managed to scramble to safety. Police continued searching for the missing motorist on Thursday, while further east, rescue efforts are underway for stranded locals in the remote Tairawhiti region.
Government Response and Ongoing Risks
Prime Minister Christopher Luxon stated that his government was doing everything possible to support those affected by the disasters. "To the emergency responders, Defence Force personnel, and all those who are putting themselves in harm's way to keep Kiwis safe, the whole country is grateful," he tweeted, urging people in affected areas to follow local authority advice.
The campground remains closed until further notice, and a second landslip formed behind the Mount Maunganui surf club on Thursday afternoon, forcing the building to be evacuated. More than 200km north of Auckland, Mount Maunganui is a popular coastal holiday destination famous for its extinct volcano, a sacred Maori site with ocean-view hiking trails.
As emergency services continue their desperate search for missing campers, the community faces an ongoing threat from further landslides and flooding, with weather conditions remaining volatile across the region.
