Mother and daughter escape unscathed from slip that destroyed part of home

A mother and daughter have miraculously escaped unharmed after a slip pushed a garage on to their home, destroying one end of the house and knocking it off its foundation.

But the two women were shaken after the 6am event at Charteris Bay on Banks Peninsula, telling rescuers the rumbling noise from the slip, which pushed the garage down the hillside onto the roof of the house, "seemed to go on forever".

Neighbours of the two women who had the lucky escape say they are shaken but "doing okay".

"At the time it was pretty scary for them but they got out and they are all good," said one neighbour.

"They women are sheltering at neighbours and are warm and being fed, "well, half cooked scones anyway".

Electricity is off while contractors remove a precarious power pole beside the property.

It's understood the women, who have been renting the property while their house next door awaited earthquake damage repairs, escaped via a door at the front of the house.

Another neighbour heard the collapse early this morning and, like the two women, thought it was an earthquake.

"It was a huge rumble," he said.

"I got home last night and it was pouring down and it poured all night. I've never seen rain like it.

"It must've been a big build of water and it's just flooded down and taken out the garage.

"They're very lucky. It's lucky it hasn't knocked over the whole house."

Diamond Harbour Volunteer Fire Brigade deputy chief fire officer Barry Craw said the kitchen and dining end of the house on Marine Dr was "unrecognisable".

"Of course the whole house was shaking and shuddering and they just said it seemed to go for a long time," Craw said.

"There's significant damage to that end of the house. It's pushed it off its foundations."

He said the double garage built on to long poles and previously at road level, collapsed onto the roof of the house when the slip uprooted a chunk of the roadside and sent it crashing down the steep terrain.

Police closed Marine Dr in Lyttelton Harbour after they were notified of the slip there about 6am. Photo / Broadcast Media

Fortunately both of the women's cars were not damaged in the slip and have also been retrieved.

Craw said the area of hillside, which overlooks Church Bay and is dotted with holiday homes, was prone to slips but he had never seen one cause damage to a house before.

"We lose half the road sometimes but not damage to a house like this."

The slip was estimated to be 15 metres wide and came after heavy rain last night.

The road remained closed while linesmen worked to secure the power pole that was left "hanging in the breeze and held up by 11,000 volt wires", Craw said.

He expected a one-way lane would be opened at 3pm today.

In the meantime Bay View Rd was being used as a detour.

The damaged house was between James Dr and Black Rock Rd.

Engineers have been assessing the damaged road but emergency services had now vacated the scene.

Craw expected it would take several weeks to repair the road with retaining walls because of the extensive drop-off the side of it.

A resident who had lived in the area seven years said she had not seen a slip like it before.