A camper Carly Motley, said when they assessed the damage this morning, there was “the massive slip coming through the walkway on the ocean side”.
“Then literally 15 minutes ago, the sirens started and we sort of ran over to the harbour side and there’s been a massive slip, so the toilet block up the top has been taken out with a number of caravans. It’s all slid right down through the hot pools… there’s been helicopters, surf life savers are over there helping, and they’re just trying to cut into the toilet block at the moment.”
“They’ve evacuated all the campers over to the Surf Life Saving Club just to take a bit of a roll call.”
An eyewitness at the scene said he could hear people screaming and was concerned some may be trapped.
He said the slip had hit tents and campervans.
Damage after a slip at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.
People are advised to avoid the area.
Canadian tourist Dion Siluch said he was having a massage at the Mount Hot Pools this morning when “the whole room began to violently shake”.
He said it was very loud, but he and the masseuse had “no idea what was going on” so they continued the massage for about 10 minutes until someone banged on the door.
“I looked outside the window and there was a caravan in the Mount pool.
“He walked outside and began filming, capturing a campervan at the edge of a muddy pool.
“It’s a pretty big disaster.“
He and his wife and two children, 1 and 3, had been staying at the campground in a cabin for four nights. He said there was no power or water now so they were packing up to leave.
Video footage shows emergency services racing to the scene at Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park, with at least one building – the campsite’s ablution block – extensively damaged.
The campground’s hot pools have also been hit from behind, with a witness describing water rushing on to the road from the site.
Flooding at Mount Hot Pools. Photo / Supplied
Several witnesses are concerned people may be trapped, with screams reportedly heard from the campsite.
At least a dozen people can be seen on the roof of the damaged ablution block attempting to get inside, with a campervan and ute uplifted onto it by the slip, while a rescue helicopter has now landed at the scene.
A Mount resident said at least eight police cars and three fire trucks with sirens blaring have heading past her in Mount north down towards Mauao.
A slip has hit the campsite at Mount Maunganui.
The witness estimated the slip was about 150m in length.
There were streams of water pouring out of manmade holes exposed by the slip, the eyewitness said.
A local who lives across the road from the campsite said it sounded “like a truck full of glass rolling over and over”.
An eyewitness said another small slip has happened at the campsite, pausing the rescue efforts.
The slip has also come down on an ablutions block at the camp.
A reporter at the scene said police are closing down all roads to the campgrounds.
The mountain is fully closed to the public until further notice because of large slips that have made the area unsafe.
Police have been approached for comment.