Last updated 14:12, May 15 2018
MATT SHAND/STUFF
Kevin and Gaye Brooker's yard was hit by the strong winds.
Kevin and Gaye Brooker's yard was hit by the strong winds.
A mini tornado has reportedly ripped through a Tauranga suburb.
There are reports iron was lifted from the roof of a house in a small lifestyle village on Pyes Pa Rd, Fire and Emergency northern communications shift manager Scott Osmond said.
Firefighters from Greerton had just arrived at 1.30pm and were checking homes not far from Barkes Corner, he said.
Their trampoline was also sent flying.
He said callers reported a mini-tornado had gone through the area.
Fire and Emergency had received several other weather-related calls for Tauranga since 1pm on Tuesday.
A garage had reportedly been damaged in the tornado and there were reports of flooding at a petrol station on Oropi Rd and at a home on Tauranga West Rd.
The tornado did damage to this roof of a Pyes Pa Rd house.
Kevin and Gaye Brooker, who live on Pyes Pa Rd, got a surprise as a mini twister sent their guttering flying along with their shed and trampoline.
"We were just sitting there and saw our table fly past the window," Gaye said.
"It was quite a shock."
The force of he wind was so severe it threw a brand new garden shed over their fence and into the roof of a nearby retirement village
"It just picked it up and took it away."
Their grandsons trampoline was also picked up and dumped onto the lawn broken.
Next door to the brockers a wooden shed was buckled by the wind.
"It's a bit of a shock really but we're all fine."
Metservice meteorologist Tom Adams said weather stations in the area were unable to record tornados and they were often too small to feature on a satellite.
Firefighters are checking homes in Pyes Pa.
But it was possible a small tornado had moved through the area.
"They do happen from time to time. Quite often in New Zealand tornados end up being water spouts or strong wind gusts, but they are quite possible."
If anyone has footage of the weather event, Metservice would like to view it, he said.
Parts of the Bay of Plenty had been hammered with rain on Tuesday afternoon with some parts recording 17ml an hour.
A line of precipitation was running between Tauranga and Rotorua, Adams said.