A white-stickered home on Old Waipu Road. Photo: RNZ / Finn Blackwell
A Mangawhai resident says the tornado-like storm that struck early on Sunday felt like a truck hitting his house.
The Northland town was hit by high winds in the early hours, damaging 50 houses and knocking down power poles, power lines and trees.
Resident Grant Noonan was awake when it began, and said it quick, violent, and loud.
"Lying in bed, it sort of was an eerie feeling. Things started moving sideways and back and forth, and the 'boom', it was like a truck had hit our house."
"It was horrific. My wife woke up screaming. It was quick, it was violent, it was loud."
Kaipara Civil Defence Emergency Management controller John Burt has told Morning Report 17 buildings have been yellow-stickered and a further nine white-stickered.
A yellow sticker means there is moderate damage while a white sticker means there is light or no damage to a property.
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