A large waterspout formed in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand on August 20, 2018, and hit the Ohope Beach just after 17:30 NZST, damaging at least six properties. Ohope is 6 km (3.7 miles) east of Whakatane, North Island. At the same time, on the other side of North Island, another damaging tornado hit New Plymouth.
One of Ohope residents said he saw a massive waterspout come out of nowhere. “We all ran downstairs and hid in the bathroom,” he told 1 NEWS. “I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” He said he watched the waterspout for five minutes before it picked up speed and approached the land. At least six properties were damaged, with their rooves torn off and windows smashed, but there are no reports of injuries. READ MORE
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