A Canadian tourist staying at the Beachside Holiday Park says it was only later that he realised how close his family came to danger after a landslide tore through the campground at the base of Mauao, Mount Maunganui, leaving several people unaccounted for, including children.
Emergency services continue to search the site after the slip came down about 9.30am on Thursday, smashing into campervans, tents, vehicles and an ablution block near the Mount Hot Pools.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand's Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) teams have been working overnight in what authorities describe as a complex and high-risk environment.
Dion Siluch, who was visiting Mount Maunganui with his wife and two young daughters, told Checkpoint he was getting a massage inside the hot pools complex when the landslide struck.
"The whole room just started shaking, and we couldn't quite figure out what was happening," Siluch said.
"And for a moment we actually continued the massage until a big, large knock at the door happened and someone yelled and screamed emergency."
When he looked outside, the scale of what had happened became clear.
"We looked out the window and saw a caravan landed about 30 feet from the front door of the massage room and the end of the mudslide," he said.
Dion Siluch was getting a massage inside the hot pools complex when the landslide struck. Photo: Alan Gibson - GIBSON IMAGES LTD
"It was kind of disastrous… we could see that we were very close to being hit by the mudslide."
Siluch said the scene was initially confusing, with some people struggling to grasp what they were seeing.
"It almost seemed like somebody had driven their caravan off the road and maybe it had rolled down the hill," he said.
"But when you saw the mud, and you realised that it actually collapsed in the side of the hot pools and the retaining wall, it was like, 'Oh, the mountain is collapsing'. This is a real disaster."
Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell has confirmed a young girl is among those missing, and RNZ understands other children may also be unaccounted for. Police said the number of missing is in single figures.
Siluch said reactions among campers and bystanders were mixed in the immediate aftermath.
"Some people were ready to dig. Some people were wanting to take action. And then there was another camp of people that wanted to hike up the mount to get a clearer view," he said.
"I recommend that they didn't get anywhere near the mount because it could be unstable and it could come down again.
"There was a lot of confusion."
Officials work at the scene of the landslide at the Beachside Holiday Park in Mt Maunganui. Photo: Alan Gibson / Gibson Images Ltd
Emergency services soon descended on the area, including helicopters.
"Search and rescue were flying quite low," Siluch said.
"I believe they must have been looking for any signs of distress… the military helicopter arrived, and then the police helicopter arrived."
He said a police helicopter landed about 30 feet from his cabin, which was used as a staging area, before campers were ordered to evacuate.
It was only later that the emotional impact of the near miss hit home.
"When I realised it was a landslide… my wife and my two daughters, who were four and one, were standing there and my wife was crying," he said.
"She just wrapped her arms around me and said, 'Oh my God, I can't believe you're okay.'"
"Only then did it sink in that, oh, I was very close to danger," Siluch said.
"It really took an hour for it to settle in and for me to understand how lucky I am."
The slip at Mauao, Mount Maunganui as seen from the air. Photo: Screengrab / Amy Till
Siluch said there had been warnings after an earlier slip near the Mount's lower walking track, which had been taped off and closed.
"They did a wonderful job of protecting people from the first landslide," he said.
"I think the second one, I don't think anyone saw that coming… I don't think there was even an indication that any of us were at risk."
Fire and Emergency said USAR teams are continuing to remove layers of debris carefully, supported by heavy machinery and sniffer dogs.
Authorities have urged the public to stay away from the area while the search continues and geotechnical assessments are carried out.
The Mount Maunganui Surf Life Saving Club is being used as a triage and evacuation centre, and the rest of the campground has been evacuated as investigations and rescue efforts continue.
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