Kiwifruit orchards in the Bay of Plenty town of Katikati have been left badly damaged, after a tornado ripped through on Tuesday.
One family were sheltering inside as the ferocious storm took out trees and poles, causing thousands of dollars of damage.
"The teenager was screaming… but it didn't touch the house thankfully," orchard manager Mark told Checkpoint.
"It's made a mess of the lawn, gardens and the deck and flew away again. So apart from cleaning up the orchard and a few trees… trying to figure out how much money to put aside for it.
"That's weather. Can't change it, life goes on," Mark said.
The shelter cloth was the most damaged thing on the property, which usually protects the vines from the wind that rolls off the Kaimai Ranges.
"It's all about keeping the kiwifruit in grade, not having rubbing marks and stuff on it. So the cloth is important.
"It's broke. Lying on top of the canopy. Thankfully we've picked, I don't have to worry about that. But it needs to be fixed before the next season starts or we have another problem."
It's tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damage, he said.
"It's only a small orchard by the standard of things but it's a good little orchard so we'll clean it up, do it all again."
Mark said it's been disappointing for his neighbour who has spent the past year trying to build up his orchard, and it is now sitting on the ground.
