The owner of a boutique lodge in Awatuna says she considers her “extremely lucky” after a waterspout that was heading towards the property changed course and hit only the side of the house.
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The owner of a boutique lodge in Awatuna says she considers herself “extremely lucky” after a waterspout that was heading towards the property changed course and hit only the side of the house.
MetService is warning of another front making its way up the South Island’s West Coast which could bring further watersprouts.
Elizabeth Meaclem, 61, said she was with her 17-year-old grandnephew who was visiting when the boy looked out towards the sea and pointed to some “strange looking cloud.
“I looked up and said ‘That’s not a cloud, it’s a water sprout’. We started filming it, then it started heading straight to our place and it got pretty scary,” Meaclem said.
“Then I yelled for everyone to get inside because we didn’t want to be there when it touched landfall.”
A waterspout hit Awatuna. Photo / still from video by Elizabeth Meaclem
As they took shelter, they heard loud noises as the waterspout made landfall just after noon on Sunday.
“We heard lots of banging and loud crashes but didn’t really know what had been hit, but we did see that the waterspout took a slight turn and didn’t head directly at us,” Meaclem said.
The property, the Awatuna Sunset Lodge, an adults-only retreat, is located 10 minutes north of Hokitika and 20 minutes south of Greymouth.
After the weather settled, Meaclem and other family members walked outside to see what happened.
“We were just very lucky that the twister turned just as it hit Waimea Creek and went down the side, but it did take out a few of our trees, water filtration system, shed and a large hydrangea bush,” she said.
“It took out all our furniture and hit the chicken coop, but fortunately the furniture was thrown away from the house.”
Her chickens, all 37 of them, were unharmed, she said.
Meaclem, who moved from Australia 15 years ago, has been running the lodge with her partner Selwyn since 2019 and this was her first close encounter with a twister.
“It’s scary stuff, and I’m still feeling a little bit shakey and buzzy,” she said.
“But now there’s just a huge mess that we’ve got to clean up before our guests start arriving later this afternoon.”
Metservice meteorologist Claire O’Connor said the event was being classed as a waterspout as it was formed over the water.
“Waterspouts typically dissipate rapidly when they make landfall, but given that Awatuna is quite close the coast it is not unexpected that it made it there,” O’Connor said.
“Waterspouts are generally weaker than tornadoes but still pose a significant hazard to water users due to the strong winds associated with them.”
O’Connor said waterspouts formed when there was colder air aloft and warmer air near the surface, thus creating an unstable atmosphere.
The warmer air rises and the colder air descends and the opposing updrafts and downdrafts create a rotation which may turn into a waterspout.
“There is another front making its way up the West Coast, and a risk of thunderstorms associated with it,” O’Connor said.
“If there were to be any further waterspouts, they would likely occur with this – expected to pass through Hokitika and then Awatuna around 7pm tonight.”
