Waikanae residents are reporting around three or four large pine trees have gone through roofs, after what is thought to be a tornado hit the Kāpiti Coast about 1pm this afternoon.
Damage in Waikanae after a suspected tornado. Photo: RNZ / Joe Porter
Kāpiti Coast District Council says up to four houses in Waikanae and eight in Paraparaumu were damaged by the strong winds.
Fire and Emergency said 12 cars were also damaged by falling trees and debris.
A Waikanae man described this afternoon's weather event, thought to be a tornado, as a noisy wave of wind.
David Hughes was at work on Waikanae's Omahi Street when the weather event struck and said he could hear the buildings shaking, describing it as "pretty crazy''.
"We first saw the winds and we heard some big thundering sounds and then some big swirls with tree branches and tree remnants and stuff swirling in the car park."
It was like nothing Hughes had seen before, he said.
"I actually said to one of my colleagues I've only seen this in movies."
Once the winds had died down, Hughes and his colleagues went out to assess the damage.
"We saw the debris on the road and a few of us started to clear the tree branches off the road so cars could get through."
A tree went through the roof of a car dealership, while further down the road a tree branch had gone through the passenger window of a car parked on the street, Hughes said.
"Thankfully no one got hurt. If someone was in there [the car] they would have got hit."
Businesses along Omahi Street have told RNZ three or four large pine trees were brought down onto roofs, causing damage.
John, a business owner, said his building was unscathed but others were not so lucky.
"There's a little reserve which goes down the back of Omahi Street which has got planting of Norfolk Pines. It looks like about three of those have been snapped in half and all the debris from that has gone over cars and buildings," he said.
Gordon Cameron was brewing a coffee at his Waikanae workshop when one of a Norfolk Pine came toppling through the roof.
"There was just this sort of heavier rainfall coming on and then there was this sort of really loud thundery noise and that was when the pine tree hit us."
Cameron said things went a bit fuzzy after that although it was over in about 30 seconds. He said a person in a car outside was injured when a piece of tree entered the car, but an ambulance treated him and he was okay.
The tree caused about a third of the workshop roof to collapse, he said.
It's the latest in the string of tornado weather events in the region in recent weeks.
John hoped today's possible tornado was the last of them.
"It's the second time it's happened in Waikanae in the last couple of weeks. Hopefully, we don't become like a little tornado alley. Hopefully, that's the last one," he said.
Tim O'Connor from an auto parts workshop on Omahi Street said one car was damaged after it ended up with a tree trunk on its bonnet but they were lucky with the other vehicles.
He said the building's roof had some structural damage.
"It's a pretty heavy tree, we've got a big crane coming in in a minute to lift it out hopefully."
O'Connor said he was very glad the tree missed the Ferrari, which was the most expensive car in the yard.
"It's really now just a matter of cleaning up, it's a shambles, the whole place is a shambles."
Four people were in the building at the time and in hindsight it was a pretty terrifying experience, O'Connor said - although he did not have the chance to think about it at the time, .
Once the tree had been removed a tarpaulin would be put up to try and protect the roof until it could be fixed, he said.
