Mr Devlin said his first instinct was to take cover.
"That tree next door could have come down, we just didn't know what was going to happen."
Mr Smith said it was luck nobody was standing where the branch had punctured the ceiling.
Mr Smith described seeing 'a cloud of wind' make its way past the store.
"Looking out there was just a white wall of wind like a tunnel." Mr Smith said.
Rhooky L'Rhook was the customer who entered Eastern HiFi moments before the tunnel of wind barrelled down Cameron Rd.
His wife, Sair, waited in the car with their dog Busta when the strong gusts began to push her car, forcing her to plant her foot on the brake and pull the handbrake as hard as she could.
Mrs L'Rhook was sheltered by her vehicle while signage frames crashed over top.
"A big frame came off a roof and just came over the top of the car and crashed on the road in front of us," Mrs L'Rhook said. "The car was shaking and rocking around and it started to move slightly while it was parked."
Mrs L'Rhook said her husband could not go outside because of wind and debris.
"I just thought, 'what on earth is happening, this is just crazy.' It happened so quickly" Mrs L'Rhook said.
Mount Maunganui restaurant Pronto moved diners towards the back of their bar just moments before a window exploded and the building began to shake.
Fiona McKellar White, sister to the restaurant owner Kate McKellar White, said it was lucky a woman left her spot by the window.
"Right where the window had exploded a lady had put her jacket down before she walked up to the counter and ordered a coffee. If she had sat down for a minute it would have just smashed all over her."
A car crashed into a Tauranga house on Saturday.
Police Northern Communication Shift Commander, Inspector Willy Taylor said the car had left the road and crashed into a house, causing some damage.
Mr Taylor was unsure as to the cause of the crash but said adverse weather conditions were a factor in a high percentage of reported vehicle accidents.