Farmer sees lightning kill stock

WHAM: A lightning bolt killed two calves near Featherston on Monday.PHOTO/AP

A Featherston farmer says he felt "helpless" as a bolt of lightning instantly killed two heifer calves as the storm front came through Wairarapa on Monday.

Dairy farmer Selwyn Donald witnessed the bolt of lightning hitting the ground at his farm on Ashbys Rd around 3pm, where about 30 calves were huddled near a fence.

Mr Donald was about 50m from the strike.

Two of his calves were separate from the group and dropped as the bolt melted the fenceline and carved a two-metre trench in the soil.

"They were both just instantly dead, just lying against each other," he said.

The front came through "so quick. It just got colder and colder.

"Then there was this massive lightning.

"I said to myself, hell ... then there was a clap of thunder, I had never heard thunder like it - it was right on top of me."

He said he was thankful it wasn't a bigger loss.

"If they had been grouped together, I could have lost 30 in one hit.

"But two calves, it's quite a significant loss."

He was also glad his farm worker had backed away from the metal gate at the fence shortly before the hit.

The atmosphere had also "lit up' his irrigator.

He lost power to his house and his phone lines were "cooked", according to Chorus.

"It's like something you see in America - you're helpless and powerless, you don't know what to do next."