watersout
An eyewitness says he watched a water spout "sucking water up" as it travelled along the Bay of Plenty coast this evening.

Once the water spout hit land it turned into a tornado which struck Ohope, in Whakatane, just after 5.30pm, tearing roofs off homes and downing powerlines.

A Ohope resident told 1 NEWS his main concern was keeping his child safe as he watched the water spout move for five minutes before "picking up speed" as it approached the sand dunes, taking roofs off the houses in its path.


He said he saw emergency services responding to weather-related calls.

No one was injured in the incident.

On the other side of the North Island a tornado hit New Plymouth today.