At least two people have died after landslides struck a house and a holiday campground on New Zealand’s North Island following days of record-breaking rain, as emergency crews raced to rescue people trapped.
Police said the first landslide hit a house in Welcome Bay at about 4.50am on Thursday (3.50pm GMT on Wednesday). Two people escaped, but the bodies of two others trapped inside were later recovered, emergency management minister Mark Mitchell said.
Hours later, a second landslide hit Beachside Holiday Park, at the base of Mount Maunganui, crushing vehicles, campervans and an amenities block. Police said the number of people unaccounted for there was in the “single figures”, with sniffer dogs deployed to search the rubble.
“There was a shower block … and there were people using that at the time the slide came through,” Mitchell told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand said early searches detected voices from beneath the debris but crews were later forced to withdraw because of unstable ground.
Further north, a man remains missing after being swept away by floodwaters near Warkworth on Wednesday.
‘Scariest thing ever,’ says Australian tourist who witnessed the landslide
Australian tourist Sonny Worrall said he was relaxing in a hot pool within the campground when he heard and then saw the landslide.
“I looked behind me and there’s a huge landslide coming down. And I’m still shaking from it now,” Mr Worrall told New Zealand’s 1News news service.
“I turned around and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run.”
Mr Worrall said he looked back to see the rubble carrying a travel trailer behind him.
“It was like the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life,” he said.
Stuti Mishra22 January 2026 09:00
‘Doing everything we can,’ says NZ PM
New Zealand prime minister Christopher Luxon urged residents in affected areas to heed local authorities’ safety advice during the extreme conditions.
“Extreme weather continues to cause dangerous conditions across the North Island. Right now, the government is doing everything we can to support those impacted,” Mr Luxon posted on social media.
Stuti Mishra22 January 2026 08:45
Voices heard from rubble after landslide
Fire and Emergency New Zealand commander William Pike said there were some signs of life immediately after the Mount Maunganui slide.
“Members of the public… tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices,” Mr Pike told reporters.
“Our initial fire crew arrived and… were able to hear the same.
“Shortly after our initial crew arrived, we withdrew everyone from the site due to possible movement and slip.”
Mayor Mahe Drysdale said those unaccounted for earlier had included people who had left the campground without notifying authorities.
The campground was closed after the disaster.
Stuti Mishra22 January 2026 08:41
Photos: Aerial view of area affected by landslide
Stuti Mishra22 January 2026 08:41
Number of people missing in ‘single figures
‘Police Superintendent Tim Anderson said the number of people missing was in the “single figures”.
No survivors or bodies had been recovered by late evening from the Mount Maunganui rubble, where dogs were being used to search for victims, Mr Mitchell said.
Earlier, north near Warkworth, a man remained missing after floodwaters swept him from a road on Wednesday morning as heavy rain lashed large swathes of the North Island, a police statement said.
Stuti Mishra22 January 2026 08:38
At least two killed in landslides in New Zealand
At least two people were killed when landslides hit a house and campground in New Zealand, while emergency crews were trying to rescue others buried in rubble, officials said.
The first hit a house in the community of Welcome Bay on New Zealand’s North Island at 4.50am, police said.
Two people escaped the house, and the bodies of two who were trapped inside were recovered hours later, emergency management minister Mark Mitchell said.
Later the same morning, emergency services were called to a second slide at the base of nearby Mount Maunganui.
The rubble hit Beachside Holiday Park in a town named after the extinct volcano.
Stuti Mishra22 January 2026 08:26
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