A five-minute flash flood will mean months of cleanup and renovation for a Northland home owner after a deluge washed through a property on Queen's Birthday.
Mel Meyer, who lives not far from Tangiteroria, thought she might get a sleep-in on Monday but instead found herself watching the flood waters rapidly rise.
She yelled for her partner to get out of bed - quickly.
"I thought it was a fair bit of rain and then within five minutes it was washing through the back of our place and into the house. It was so quick."
She tried to stem the flow by stuffing sheets, towels and duvets under the doors but it did little and the bottom half of the house was quickly awash.