Fallen trees closed SH3 between New Plymouth and Wanganui in several places.

A tornado was reported in Northland on the 6th.

A tornado struck Botany Downs in south-east Auckland amid a severe thunderstorm on the 4th, tearing through an area between Botany Rd and Golfland Drive at about 3.30pm.

Two people were taken to Middlemore Hospital with injuries. One person was hit by falling roof tiles.

Damage from the tornado was minor compared to that in Taranaki. Up to 25 homes in were struck in four streets. The Fire Service attended to 20 houses suffering minor roof damage with tiles torn off. In Montecito Place roofs were torn off nine houses. The other streets affected were Botany Rd and Fencotie Pl.

A tornado struck Tauranga at about 5.30pm on the 4th. The skies darkened and winds picked up.

The tornado damaged at least two roofs and sent outdoor furniture flying.

Two small tornadoes touched down in Whakatane around 2am on the 5th, causing minor damage. Roof tiles were lifted, with one house losing approximately 40 tiles.

There were two outbursts of squally thunderstorms that swept in from the Tasman Sea, spawning numerous tornadoes.

Areas from Urenui in the north to Hawera in the south were affected.

About seven tornadoes hit Taranaki on the night of the 5th during an electrical storm. They hit the region in Oakura, Egmont Village, Inglewood, Waitara and Bell Block from about 5.30 pm.

Roofs were blown off, trees were uprooted, cars were lifted and spun around and debris was scattered widely. Up to 50 houses were damaged, some sustaining damage of up to 80%, making many uninhabitable.

Many people were left homeless. Twelve homeowners didn't expect to be back in their houses before Christmas.

Trees blocked several roads on the 5th. The main state highway south of New Plymouth (SH45) was blocked. A bridge was also taken out.

Power lines and poles were brought down by the tornadoes, some across roads. Power was cut to about 8000 consumers in Taranaki on the night of the 5th, affecting up to 20,000 people. Power outages started about 5.30pm on the 5th and affected areas including Urenui, Waitara, Bell Block, Oakura, Pungarehu, Opunake, Normanby and Hawera and also two towns in the Manawatu-Wanganui region. 1000 people were still without power on the night of the 6th and about 200 were without electricity on the afternoon of the 7th. Damage to the network was extensive.

Residents were asked to conserve water over the weekend after two South Taranaki water treatment plants lost power.

Civil Defence emergency was declared in the New Plymouth District on the night of the 5th following another swarm of tornadoes. Residents were advised to stay indoors. The state of emergency was lifted on the 7th.

The total insurance cost for the tornadoes of the 4th and 5th July was $8.3 million.

1336 insurance claims were lodged.

Residential home and contents claims totalled $4.2 million.

Commercial claims totalled $3.2 million.

Business interruption/loss of profits totalled $530,000.

Motor vehicle claims totalled $216,000.

Taranaki Civil Defence had a $40,000 bill for the hundreds of tarpaulins draped over roofless homes.

Other costs included business interruption, accomodation from people whose homes were wrecked, motor vehicles and other items.

Wind speed calclulations revealed that the maximum wind speeds in the strongest tornado were around 60-70 m/s (up to 250 km/hr).

At Egmont Village, trees were brought down across the road.

One man became trapped in a house in Hawera.

Eight people were trapped in a vehicle surrounded by live powerlines on the corner of Wiremu Rd and Ihaia Rd.

The Kapuni water treatment plant in South Taranaki was forced to close after power was lost.

SH3 was closed near Motunui.

At about 1pm on the 4th, a single tornado occurred 3 km from the New Plymouth CBD. Eyewitnesses described a 10-metre high wall of debris that roared through the central city. It was at least 10m high and 15m wide. Based on the damage which occurred in New Plymouth, the tornado appeared to be a few metres wide and was at the lower end of the scale as far as tornadoes went (Bob McDavitt, MetService spokesman). The tornado came in off the sea and hit businesses as it headed south. Its path was traced for about 800m and firefighters believed it may have travelled in almost a 360 degree course.

A 20-30-metre section of the Placemakers roof was torn off and went flying across the road, with only a large tree preventing it from smashing into Tasman Workwear and Safety. The tornado also damaged another six commercial buildings and several cars. The Le Mer grandstand lost 14 1.5m-2m square glass panels. There was an enormous amount of flying glass. The worst affected areas were Molesworth St and Gover St.

Roads in the CBD were closed off.

Three people were left with minor injuries. A man who was outside Placemakers received a small cut on his head from a shower of debris.

Taranaki Racing Club faced up to $50,000 worth of repairs.

Winds near the centre of the tornadoes on the 4th were gusting at around 100 km/hr.

The tornado in central New Plymouth on the 4th caused an estimated $1.5 million worth of damage.

The first reports were at 5.40pm as three tornadoes roared ashore at Oakura, some 12km north of New Plymouth.

The power was cut when the tornadoes arrived on the evening of the 5th and was still off at 11:30pm.

The most serious damage caused by the tornadoes on the 5th was centred in Oakura, where tornadoes had travelled right through the township. As many as 60 houses in Oakura were damaged, with at least six thought to be beyond repair. The worst-hit house in Oakura, on Messenger Tce, had almost its whole second storey blown off. Trees were uprooted, road signs and power poles were bent at right angles, glass shards were embedded in steel posts and a fence was blown almost 1km away. A mobile home in Oakura Holiday Camp was turned 180 degrees by a tornado.

A 15-year-old girl from Oakura received minor injuries. A man was knocked out and received minor injuries when a tornado hit his caravan at Oakura Holiday Camp, tossing it more than 3m in the air.

The Rahotu water treatment plant in South Taranaki was forced to close after power was lost.

About ten Stratford houses were damaged by a twister which roared across the town at about 6pm in the middle of a thunderstorm.

Trees were on fire in Waitara after being set alight by fallen power lines.

Power was cut in Rata by the tornadoes in Taranaki.

Power was cut in Raetihi by the tornadoes in Taranaki.

At about 7.30pm on the 5th, a twister traced a selective path of destruction through the Wanganui suburb of Aramoho, from Cumbrae and Bute Pl, to Stewart St and across Somme Pde to the Wanganui River.

The tornado uprooted trees, knocked over fences and ripped a bus shelter from its concrete foundations.