‘We were lucky to get out alive’: Parents’ desperate search for kids after landslide flattens house

“Terrifying” is how Luke Hanan described the frantic search for his five children after a mudslide folded his Tauranga house in two on Saturday.

Heavy rain fell in parts of the North Island, with slips, floods, and widespread damage to homes across the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and Auckland, where a state of emergency was declared.

The MetService weather station at Tauranga Airport recorded 184.9 millimetres of rain between Friday morning and early Sunday afternoon.

All severe weather warnings in the Bay of Plenty were lifted yesterday, but there is more rain on the horizon.

Twenty-four homes have been evacuated after a landslide crashed into homes on Egret Ave in Maungatapu about midnight on Saturday, and about 30 properties in Te Puke could be isolated for a couple of days after a bridge was washed out upstream of the Raparapahoe Stream.

Hanan and Teresa Hodgson’s Egret Ave home, which they share with their five children, was destroyed by the slip.

The couple were asleep when they heard a rumble that sounded like an earthquake.

Hanan said the house “snapped in half and then slid and sort of rolled over itself”.

“We were lucky to get out alive. It’s amazing, to be honest.”

The couple then frantically searched for their children, who had been sleeping in another part of the house.

“It was a mission to find three of them, and we dragged [them] out through the windows.

“We were smashing windows to try to get to the kids. I couldn’t find three of them for five or so minutes. Today, we are spaced out and still can’t get over what happened.

“We are still trying to get our head around what happens next.”

The children were “a bit shaken up and probably nervous about the next few days, but I think eventually they will get over it.”

Luke Hanan says the family was 'lucky to get out alive'. Photo / Cameron Avery

Hanan said he had only just completed extensive renovations on his house at 4pm on Saturday. He went back to the site today, and said neighbours had rallied around the family and they were also “devastated”.

The house was destroyed, he said, and they had just changed insurance companies on Friday.

The couple’s two cats, Puss Puss and Becca, were still missing.

Other residents on the street described hearing a massive rumble that sounded like thunder, then screams.

“It was very terrifying,” said neighbour Hayley Vincent.

“It was just awful, and we were trying to do what we could to help. There were kids calling for help.”

Vincent went to the aid of the mother from the most extensively damaged home and said she was in shock.

“How does anyone survive that?” Vincent said.

Brian and Tina Garden said they went outside to see the house in the middle of the street after hearing the slip.

Five kids crawled out of the rubble of the home, screaming and covered in mud.

“They were all covered in mud and one girl had cuts. I ran over and took them towels,” Tina said.

“It was horrendous.”

Dave and Sue Harding’s home was damaged in the slip.

Sue said it looked like a warzone, and they were relieved everyone made it out alive.

Dave and Sue Harding stand before the landslide on Egret Ave, Tauranga, that destroyed homes. Photo / Carmen Hall

Rebecca Hayes, whose house was also damaged in the slip, said luckily she had told her son Campbell to sleep upstairs, as she was worried about him sleeping in the back room.

“There was a huge rumble like an earthquake. I can’t describe the noise. I got out of bed and was standing in the rain outside my bedroom. The front door was gone, and the garage, with all our cars, including speedway cars - they are munted and toast.

“We are so grateful to be alive. I was shocked when I went outside - one of the kids from next door was buried. We were so worried.”

Meanwhile, about 30 properties in Te Puke could be isolated “for at least a couple of days” after a bridge washed out just upstream of the Raparapahoe Stream.

The bridge was on No 4 Rd, and Western Bay of Plenty District Council Civil Defence controller Peter Watson said it had made contact with as many of those affected as possible.

“Providing access and monitoring the welfare of these residents is a priority for us. But given the water levels, sodden grounds and other constraints, we have to explore a number of access options, which is why we’re organising a meeting with these affected residents in the next couple of days to discuss alternative access options involving private property. Given the weather and logistics, it could mean these properties will be isolated for at least a couple of days,” he said.

A freight train carrying up to 10 wagons of logs and pulp was also derailed near Te Puke yesterday morning after it travelled through a flooded section of track.

The train’s two crew members were not injured, a KiwiRail spokesperson said.

Teams were inspecting the site, and regulators, including the Transport Accident Investigation Commission, have been notified.

A rescue operation was also under way yesterday afternoon for at least 70 people who became trapped in the Te Urewera forest.

The NZ Herald understood the group, who had travelled to the Hanamahihi area in the forest, became trapped following the intense rainfall that has shifted down the country in recent days.

MetService meteorologist Angus Hines said the Bay of Plenty’s rainfall figures represented “very large numbers” and rain warnings and watches across the Bay of Plenty had “eased for now”.

Hines said the forecast was for showers and cloudy conditions today and tomorrow.

“That doesn’t mean there will be no more rain in the coming days, but it doesn’t look like there’ll be too much more in the way of heavy rain as we start [this] week.”

There was a “notable risk” of further heavy rain again on Wednesday, likely lasting until Thursday before becoming clear for the end of the week, Hines said.

What you need to know

Tauranga City Council Civil Defence controller Sam Fellows asked people to stay away from flooded areas.

“Currents can be very unpredictable. Floodwaters may also be contaminated with sewage, bacteria and chemical run-off, so we’re asking people to stay away from rivers and floodwaters for their safety.”

He asked people to avoid unnecessary travel, driving through flooded areas or attempting to cross river fords or water-covered roads, and to not go sightseeing.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency regional manager of maintenance and operations, Jacqui Hori-Hoult, said it was asking people to stay home where possible.

“Drive to the conditions, which means keeping a safe following distance and dropping your speed.

“Be prepared for some road surfaces to be rough where rain has stripped top layers of the seal, and watch for flooding and other debris on the road.”

Hori-Hoult thanked road users and local communities for their patience.

“We can’t help the adverse weather, but we are doing as much as we can to minimise disruptions.”

Tauranga road closures

• McLaren Falls Park and Historic Village (closed due to flooding)
• Welcome Bay Rd between Waitaha Rd and James Cook Ln (slip, traffic management)
• Pukemapu Rd/Oropi Rd intersection (slip, traffic management)

Western Bay road closures

• Luna Rd/Chard Rd intersection (flooding - priority give way installed)
• Omanawa Rd, Belk Rd, Poripori Rd (slips – cordons in place with very long detour)
• Waitoa Rd (debris)
• Papaunahi Rd (flooding – directional signs up)
• Kaiate Falls Rd (slip)
• Lund Rd (approx. 4.4km) - (slip over one lane)
• Whakamarama Rd (slip approx. 890m along)
• No 4 Rd (debris and bridge washout)
• Turntable Hill Rd (slip on a paper road)
• Te Puna Station Rd (flooding – traffic management organised to close Te Puna Station Rd from SH2 and also Te Puna Rd)
• Te Puke Highway (tree blocking 1.5 lanes between Bell Rd and Welcome Bay Rd)
• No 3 Rd (slips - closed at #1164, about 12km up)
• Taumata Rd before Dekker Rd (closed due to slip)
• Harray Rd (closed due to slip)
• Waitao Rd (flooding across whole road)
• Ngamuwahine Rd (closed due to slip)
• Work Rd, near Hickley Rd (slip over both lanes)
• Upper Ohauti Rd (slip)
• Te Puke Quarry Rd (slip over both lanes at #587)
• Upper Ohauti Rd (slip over one lane at #788)

According to the latest updates available at 4.30pm, these routes were either closed, still being cleared or had traffic management as a result of slips and flooding.