The weather blast that ploughed its way across Papamoa just before noon today causing mayhem and property damage, also threw itself at other suburbs.

Around 11.45am Gate Pa, Merivale, Greerton, Tauriko and Pyes Pa residents experienced what some called "a mini-tornado", such was the sudden nature of the thunderstorm event.

Saturday started with heavy rain around 8am with rainfall of 5.4mm per hour. The rain then abated somewhat around 9am, returning again at 10am with rainfall of 6.6mm per hour. An hour later at 11am, the rain dropped back again to light showers but these rain bursts were a mere prelude for what was to follow.

At noon the heavy thunderstorm accompanied by hail and the damaging tornado tore through. At the height of the rain deluge, the rainfall was reported by the MetService to be 16.8mm per hour.

PowerCo reported a power cut in Matapihi about 11.44am, which affected 18 properties. A site investigation has been underway and power is expected to be restored by 6.30pm.

Damage in Tauriko. Photo: Nathan Hunt

Other regions have also experienced heavy rainfall, flooding and damage. At Waikino this afternoon, there has been a wide-spread power outage at 3.44pm with 10,371 properties affected. A site investigation is underway with power expected to be restored by 8.30pm.

As the centre of the storm passed through Tauranga, drivers along Cameron Rd experienced some flooding between Tauranga Hospital and the Gate Pa shopping centre. Trees came down in Cameron Rd and near Yatton Park in Fraser St, and trampolines were tossed around.

At Tauriko, business owner Nathan Hunt witnessed the aftermath, with fences down, iron roofing torn off and an outdoor office and portaloo tipped over on to a road and footpath respectively.

'I own a business down at the Lakes at Tauriko and there was basically a tornado that came up between our two buildings and ripped off the roller door and part of the building right beside us," says Nathan.

He wasn't onsite at the time but arrived about ten minutes after to check on his property.

"On the same road it's overturned a portacom site office upside down onto the road. No one was in but obviously some impressive power to turn that upside down," says Nathan.

Damage in Tauriko. Photo: Nathan Hunt

Portacom site office upturned in Tauriko. Photo: Nathan Hunt

Over near Windermere, the deluge of rain became a hailstorm.

Emergency services have been busy restoring power, and helping property owners with roofing and fences. The rain was light in Tauranga for a couple of hours following the noon storm, but another thunderstorm is expected to come through after 4pm with heavy rain through the evening until around 10pm.

Looking ahead, towards the end of the weekend, MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris says the severity of the thunderstorms is expected to diminish.

A trough, with an associated moderate risk of thunderstorms over the Bay of Plenty and Gisborne is expected to clear early Sunday morning. Localised heavy rain with intensities of 10 to 25 mm per hour are possible with these thunderstorms.

Another trough over central New Zealand will bring an early morning low risk of thunderstorms to Taranaki, northwest Nelson and northern Buller.

A low with embedded troughs and cold air aloft is expected to sit to the west of New Zealand on Sunday evening, bringing a low risk of thunderstorms to Taranaki, northwest Nelson and Buller at night.