KEY POINTS:
Winter storms can be a tad inconvenient, but one Auckland family were left with no power, a hole in the roof and nowhere to go after Tuesday night's wild weather.
Taina Matthews, her partner Lance Anderson and their 4-year-old daughter Riana were not at their Ranui home when a tree on their neighbour's property smashed through their roof at 9pm.
The manager of the rented property phoned to tell them about the damage and they arrived to find the Fire Service at their house.
They were told it was not safe to stay there but with no one to stay with, they slept the night at the house, and moved to a motel yesterday afternoon.
They had the power disconnected when sparks began flying out of the wiring in the ceiling space, leaving them with no heating and a fridge full of food.
The property manager arranged a motel for three nights and their two dogs were moved to an animal shelter.
Ms Matthews said branches had been falling off the tree for some time and damage to roof tiles had just been fixed. "I can't believe the timing, it's all going to have to be done again now," she said.
Insurers visited the property yesterday on behalf of the family's and the neighbour's landlords. On Track, which is building a $45 million railway line between Swanson and Henderson, also visited the site.
A neighbour said diggers had been on the site all week and the tree had been destabilised. "It was the strongest, most stable tree you can possibly imagine and they've just been digging around under the roots."
A spokeswoman for On Track said all heavy construction on the railway track was being done on the other side of the corridor and the only work that had been done near the Ranui houses was moving temporary buildings.
After the site visit the company was satisfied it had no involvement but the spokeswoman said it would be happy to talk to insurers if they had concerns.
A spokeswoman for Waitakere City Council said because a tree on a private property had fallen on to another private property, it did not involve the council.
