McHardy’s call log, seen by the Herald, shows he rang 111 at 5.47am, but he claims, “they said I had to talk to the council”.
He said the emergency call taker said they would notify the council.
“I went to the surf club and alerted the lifeguards as soon as I got off the phone with 111.
“I didn’t want to waste time. I had a gut feeling it was going to get much worse but the dispatcher said it was more a council matter and that they would notify council.”
So he started waking up campers himself, including Dutch and German tourists.
“I was like, ‘Sorry to wake you up, but you really should move’,” he said.
He took a photo of the slip at 7.35am. It shows two people walking above a section of freshly scarred earth that had crumbled away.
McHardy said it was alarming to see how close the pair were to its edge and he feared more slips would follow.
A new photo shows walkers above a Mt Maunganui slip – nearly two hours after a local called 111 to report the danger. Photo / Alister McHardy
The Tauranga City Council announced at 8.56am that it was closing the walking tracks around the popular tourist spot as severe weather had “significantly destabilised the maunga, creating an ongoing risk of further slips and falling debris”.
But the officials made no evacuation orders for the holiday park or the neighbouring Mount Hot Pools – both of which are council-owned.
Then about 9.30am, another slip – this time deadly – came crashing down, flattening a toilet block, tents and caravans.
McHardy said emergency services didn’t visit until after the 9.30am disaster.
He said he is struggling with guilt, despite his efforts to raise the alarm.
Mount Maunganui local Alister McHardy says he tried to raise the alarm about smaller land slips on the mountain several hours before Thursday’s deadly one, but was told by 111 to ring the council. Photo / Alanah Eriksen
“I’m kicking myself, I should have kicked up more of a fuss.”
On Friday, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Tauranga Mayor Mahe Drysdale were asked at a press conference why campers weren’t evacuated after the first slips.
“There is a lot of questions to be answered, and we are determined to answer those questions,” Drysdale said.
Emergency services searching for people after a slip at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.
“We will go through a proper process, it will be public.
“Our focus right now is on the rescue effort and supporting those affected, along with the emergency services and our staff working on the ground.”
The mayor added: “Right now our focus is on emergency services, supporting them and supporting those families”.
He has since announced an independent review which will examine the events leading up to the landslide.
The Mount Maunganui campground on Saturday. Photo / Jason Dorday
“As council, on behalf of the families and the whole community, we need to understand the facts and ensure that in the lead-up to this tragedy, everything was done that was appropriate in the circumstances,” he said.
“It is important to note that while we work to stand up this review, our immediate focus remains on supporting the families affected and those responsible for the rescue operation.”
Luxon said at the press conference, “After all of these tragedies, we do an after-action review [that will ask] what have we learned?”