\u201cI mean it looks horrendous looking across [at the house from a distance] but when you\u2019re looking down at it, it\u2019s quite a long way away from our retaining walls. <\/p>\n
\u201cBecause it\u2019s a new build we\u2019ve got huge pillars that go down many metres, and we\u2019ve had a lot of design for this scenario, so we\u2019re very happy everything has worked so well.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple were at the property this morning, and had no idea specifically when the slip occurred, but suggested \u201cmaybe Thursday night\u201d. <\/p>\n
The Andrews have since had geotechnical staff from Tauranga City Council come out to the property to inform them the home is still safe and they don\u2019t have to do anything to secure it, despite the collapsed earth below it. <\/p>\n
\u201cYeah well we\u2019ll wait for them, because they\u2019re going to come back when it dries and present us with options,\u201d Denise Andrews\u2019 husband said. \u201cOne option is for us to do nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple said in their almost four decades at the property they have never had issues with landslides before.<\/p>\n
A slip has narrowly missed a new build home in the Tauranga suburb of Welcome Bay, viewed from Te Auhi Reserve. NZ Herald photo by Michael Craig<\/p>\n
However, the couple were reluctant to have any particular focus on the slip at their property given there are \u201ctoo many awful things\u201d happening around Tauranga this week of much greater significance. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re devastated,\u201d Denise Andrews said of the fatal landslips at a Mount Manganui campground and in P\u0101p\u0101moa. <\/p>\n
Multiple landslides can be seen along the hills extending from Welcome Bay down the coast to P\u0101p\u0101moa, with dozens of residents having to evacuate after a tropical storm swept through overnight Wednesday. <\/p>\n
One of those slips turned fatal on Welcome Bay Rd in P\u0101p\u0101moa after a slip tore through a house about 4am Thursday. <\/p>\n
Yesterday, it was revealed a grandmother and her grandson were the two people killed in that Welcome Bay Rd landslide.<\/a> Their bodies were recovered about 8.30pm Thursday. <\/p>\n A neighbour said three generations of the \u201clovely\u201d family lived in the home.<\/p>\n \u201cThey were one of those families that don\u2019t hesitate to come and help you for any reason and check on you, and see how you were. Excellent neighbours, honestly. It\u2019s just unfair.\u201d<\/p>\n Police say they have discovered human remains at the Mount Maunganui campground and the emergency is now a recovery operation instead of a rescue. <\/a><\/p>\n Six people remained unaccounted for, police said on Saturday afternoon, indicating they are set to name the individuals. <\/p>\nA slip has narrowly missed a new build home in the Tauranga suburb of Welcome Bay, viewed from Te Auhi Reserve on January 24, 2026. NZ Herald photo by Michael Craig<\/p>\n