Auckland tornado strikes woman giving birth in ambulance

A woman giving birth has been caught up in an Auckland tornado.

It hit East Tamaki around nine o'clock this morning, tearing roofs off homes and businesses, and blowing an outside wall off Elite Bathroomware, leaving a pile of debris on the ground.

Fire and Emergency shift manager Craig Dally says a woman was giving birth in the back of an ambulance in Franklyne Road in Otara when the tornado came through and struck a shed.

He says the shed was pushed against the ambulance, breaking the windows.

Dally says firefighters helped out by making the area safe and clearing the debris.

St John Ambulance says the woman has been taken to Middlemore Hospital in another ambulance, in a moderate condition.

Dally says another tornado has hit a small area of Papamoa Beach in Tauranga.

He says Fire and Emergency received about ten calls about houses with roofs lifting or tiles blown off.

Dally says there are still a few trucks in the area dealing with that.

Tornado tears through East Tamaki buildings

Wild weather is striking at Auckland after fierce winds described as a tornado by onlookers have ripped a roof of a bathroom store.

Videos posted to Facebook show an entire wall torn off from a what appeared to be the Elite Bathroomware Showroom on Allens Rd in East Tamaki.

The incredible footage showed metal sheeting and wood strewn together with what looked like computers and office equipment.

An ambulance in which a woman was giving birth was also reportedly hit during the tornado.

Falling branches slammed into the ambulance that was parked in a residential driveway blowing out the windows, reporters at the scene have been told.

Fire and Emergency confirmed the area had been hit by a tornado.

Dally said 10 fire trucks had been sent to the area and were assessing the damage.

Dally said there were reports of major structural damage to other industrial buildings.

A few roofs had also been ripped off houses so crews were going through the area, assessing the damage and assisting the public.