Extreme Rainfall Triggers Landslide, Buries Campers and Kills Two at Mount Maunganui Holiday Park

A major landslide struck the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park on New Zealand's North Island after days of extreme rainfall, burying a toilet and shower block and sweeping caravans, tents and vehicles into mud and debris.

“By Elissa Steedman By Rudi Maxwell By Heloise Vyas Topic:Disasters, Accidents and Emergency Incidents Several people are missing after a landslide at a campsite in the tourism hotspot of Mount Maunganui, south-east of Auckland”

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Authorities said two people died in a separate slide at Welcome Bay, while a major high-risk search continued at the campground where several people are feared buried.

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon said the nation is "heavy with grief."

Rescue teams — including Fire and Emergency New Zealand crews, urban search-and-rescue units, sniffer dogs and heavy machinery — conducted complex overnight searches but repeatedly paused operations because of unstable ground and the risk of further slips.

Witnesses and rescuers reported hearing voices under the rubble at times, though officials cautioned that no confirmed signs of life had been found.

BBC

Police described the number missing as in the 'single figures,' and helicopters, CCTV and tracking tools were being used to locate people and alert families.

Meteorological services and multiple outlets linked the disaster to extreme rainfall.

“A heavy rain‑triggered landslide struck a campsite at Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s northern coast on Thursday, Jan”

CNA

Reports described record or near-record totals, from roughly 300 mm in 30 hours to about two-and-a-half months' worth of rain in 12 hours.

MetService red warnings for flooding and slips were in force.

A state of emergency was declared in parts of the North Island as rivers and roads flooded and power outages left thousands without electricity.

Survivor accounts and local response added human detail.

Witnesses described people screaming as earth and trees collapsed while bystanders and campers attempted rescues, including pulling people from a toilet-block roof.

CNN

A woman who woke fellow campers and helped evacuate others before becoming trapped herself was widely described as a hero.

Officials said most guests were evacuated but some remained unaccounted for, including children and foreign tourists, and government agencies signalled support and inquiries about possible overseas nationals.

Authorities warned the site remains hazardous, rescue work is complex, and more unstable weather was expected.

“ByKYLIE STEVENS, SENIOR BREAKING NEWS REPORTER, AUSTRALIAand AAP Published:01:47 GMT, 22 January 2026|Updated:15:14 GMT, 22 January 2026 173 Viewcomments A woman who warned others of a landslide just moments before she was buried in rubble is being hailed a hero as desperate search efforts continue”

Daily Mail

The event sits against a history of slope instability at Mount Maunganui, with sources noting previous closures and repeated slides at the extinct-volcano site.

Daily Mail

Coverage differed in scope: regional outlets linked the event to broader storm impacts in the Pacific and to other landslips and infrastructure damage across the North Island.

A few sources included unrelated regional disaster reports, for example a separate Malacca Strait cyclone mentioned by the-star.co.ke.

This variation illustrates differences in local versus international editorial focus.