This is the moment the small but powerful tornado hit the Far North, leaving chaos in its wake.
Roofs were ripped off homes and several people injured as the storm front moved across Coopers Beach on Wednesday morning.
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Video shared with Newshub shows the twister tearing through the area.
"Footage taken from Cable Bay Block Road of the tornado flattening trees on the ridge line just behind Coopers Beach," the filmer told Newshub.
Emergency services, urban search and rescue and Civil Defence were sent in the aftermath as residents grappled with the damage.
"Had my neighbour calling asking if we ok! She said a TORNADO had flipped her caravan and pulled down some trees!" one local resident posted to Facebook.
Coopers Beach resident Luke McDonald describes it as "extreme weather".
"The rain was horizontal against our workshop, building shaking," he told Newshub.
"The damage to all the houses is not far from our workshop, we can see all the roofs which have been ripped off."
Coopers Beach resident Ida Morgan, who is away at the moment, says her housesitters have told her that her house is really bad, the conservatory at the front is gone and some of her photos from inside the house have been found up the road.
Far North Mayor John Carter told Newshub multiple houses have been damaged.
"I've had an update from our Civil Defence people. They're told me that there's 12 homes that are damaged, five of them may be uninhabitable at the moment, that there's been a couple of people with minor injuries," he says.
"We'll be looking to see what support they need specifically, but indeed the other people in the other houses that have been damaged, what support they can get or what support they need.
"We're just monitoring to make sure that everybody's safe and well."
What are tornadoes and why do they occur?
Civil Defence defines tornadoes as rapidly rotating columns of air extending to the ground from thunderstorms.
In New Zealand, they are primarily caused by a type of storm known as pre-frontal squall lines, which NIWA explains are "bands of thunderstorms embedded in a strong, unstable pre-frontal northwesterly flow".
How do I know when tornadoes are going to happen, and how do I prepare?
Tornadoes occur during thunderstorms, due to the increased instability in the atmosphere.
But other than keeping a careful eye on developments when a thunderstorm starts up, NIWA says there are particular warning signs to pick up on when a tornado is about to begin.
These include large hail, dark low-lying clouds, clouds of debris, or loud continuous rumbling.
Civil Defence advises that people develop a Household Emergency Plan and assemble a kit consisting of Emergency Survival Items.
It also says properties should be prepared for high winds - which means large objects should be secured and you should check your roofing.
What to do in the event of a tornado
If you're inside and see a tornado getting close, Civil Defence advises that you take shelter immediately. If it's further away, do your best to alert others.
The best shelter is a basement - but if the building you're in doesn't have one, it's best to go to an interior room with few windows, and on as low a floor as possible, before covering yourself with something sturdy like a table.
If there's little time to act, Civil Defence says you should get under a door frame or up against something that will support you.
If you're outside, trees should be avoided at all costs - and you should try and find a ditch or a gully to lie in. It is best to protect your head with an object if possible.
Newshub.
