‘Little tornado’ picks up tent full of people holidaying at Omarama, Waitaki District, Canterbury

• A “small tornado” lifted a family’s tent at Omarama Top 10 Holiday Park.
• Four people were treated on-site by Hato Hone St John.
• MetService said it could have been a tornado or strong wind gust.

A family holidaying near the Southern Alps have been treated for minor injuries after a “little tornado” picked up their tent and sent it flying.

Owner of the Omarama Top 10 Holiday Park, Erwin Beiboer, told the Herald the children and adults inside either jumped or fell out as the supposed “little tornado” lifted the tent off the ground.

Beiboer said the tent was launched further into the air after everybody was out: “It was carried another 100m and thrown over the trees into the paddock of our neighbours.

“They [the family] are all right, just a bit shocked, but luckily no bad injuries,” he said.

“Luckily we had just bought a caravan ourselves, so we put it on their site so they can at least enjoy a little bit of the camp.”

He said the tent was “in pieces” and of no use.

There had not been any similar incidents in the past, he said.

A Hato Hone St John spokesman confirmed it sent one ambulance to the incident about 1.20pm today and treated four people on the scene, however, nobody needed to be taken to hospital.

MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden said it while it was possible it may have been a tornado, it could have just as easily been a strong wind gust.

“It’s been a really active day in terms of thunderstorms, and we’ve had quite a few intense showers. While it’s not out of the question that this sort of activity can produce small tornados, it can also produce strong gusts with similar impacts,” Lynden said.

“I can’t confirm [any tornados]. It’s a really tricky thing to single out. It’s one of those things, there’s definitely the potential for that, but it could just as well have been an intense gust.”

Omarama is in the Mackenzie Basin in southern Canterbury, about a 20-minute drive from Twizel, an hour’s drive from Lake Tekapo and a four-hour drive from Christchurch.

Raphael Franks is an Auckland-based reporter who covers breaking news. He joined the Herald as a Te Rito cadet in 2022.