Mini-tornado rips through kindy

A mini-tornado ripped through a kindy yesterday afternoon.

The Cuddles Childcare Centre in the Fordlands area of Rotorua had fencing and piping wrecked, tiles lifted and part of its veranda roofing blown off and tossed away.

Nikki Rowe, a supervisor at the centre, said the mini tornado came as a shock when it whipped through just after 2pm.

None of the children, who had been playing outside just minutes before, were hurt.

"The rain came hard and then it was like two seconds or something ... We really didn't see it coming," she said.

Doors were flung open and had to be held shut during the short burst and it wasn't until it was over that Miss Rowe realised just how strong the tornado had been.

"I came around and saw all this [roofing] gone, then I was like 'Oh my God'."

Miss Rowe said the children were told about tornadoes and what had happened.

"They were a bit confused."

Miss Rowe estimated the damage to the childcare centre would cost thousands of dollars.

The centre wasn't the only property damaged.

Next door a large tree snapped and fell against the home where Miss Rowe, her partner Rouruina Areai and their two children, Shavonne and Kayleigh Rowe-Areai live.

Mr Areai was at work at the Waipa Sawmill when he got a call to say a tree had fallen on his house so he rushed home.

"That will be more mess for me to clean up," he said.

Another resident in the area, Michael Moki was lifted off the ground by the strong winds as he was closing his front door, but was able to hold on to the door handle.

He said the mini-tornado came out of nowhere and was gone as suddenly as it appeared.

"All you saw were things flying off the kindergarten.

"It even smashed our sitting room window, that's how strong the wind was," Mr Moki said.

Rotorua weatherman Brian Holden said mini-tornadoes could end just as quickly as they started and there was not always an explanation for them.

"Tornadoes just happen - there's nothing that pre-warns you about it, they can happen anywhere," he said.

They usually affected a small area and often hit when there was a sharp drop in air pressure, although that was not the case in Rotorua yesterday, Mr Holden said.

- DAILY POST (ROTORUA)