Authorities in New Zealand have cautioned that the operation to locate up to nine individuals still unaccounted for after a catastrophic landslide struck a campsite could extend over several days.

Thursday’s unprecedented rainfall triggered a series of landslides across the North Island.

Tragically, two lives were lost when a landslide destroyed a home in Welcome Bay, situated in the Bay of Plenty region, approximately 100 kilometers east of Hamilton, around 4:50 am (NZDT).

The situation worsened as another landslide occurred hours later at 9:30 am, impacting campervans, vehicles, and a shower block at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park.

Emergency services have indicated that the number of missing individuals is believed to be under ten, suggesting up to nine people might be trapped beneath the rubble.

Among those missing are children, adding to the distress of the situation.

Police Commissioner Richard Chambers on Friday refused to give an exact figure.

‘We don’t want to form a view too early about how many may be caught up in that tragedy,’ he told the New Zealand Herald on Friday.

Up to nine people are missing after a landslide hit campervans and a shower block at the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park in New Zealand’s North Island on Thursday

Locals and passers-by rushed to help free those trapped, climbing onto the roof of a displaced toilet block to reach a caravan (pictured)

‘It could be days. And we appreciate that everybody is anxious and waiting for their loved ones, and for some answers, but we also have to be very careful.

‘My heart goes out to them. I’m a father myself and I’m a policeman. I had a brief chat to a couple of them and they were very grateful for the work that we are doing.

‘We’re working really hard with (loved ones) to give them answers as quickly as we possibly can.’

Mr Chambers said that, further down the line, there would need to be answers on why the campsite was not evacuated earlier despite weather warnings.

Huge swathes of the North Island were smashed by torrential rain on Wednesday, with meteorologists MetService issuing a rare red weather warning for a ‘threat to life’ in several regions and a state of local emergency.

Tauranga – the closest city to Mount Maunganui – received 295mm in the 30 hours to 6am Thursday. 

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the area is ‘very unstable’ and authorities have to monitor ground conditions as they work.

He told Radio NZ that the rescue operation will be a ‘long, slow process’ due to the ‘immense’ scale of the landslide. 

Tauranga Mayor Mahé Drysdale said the area is ‘very unstable’

Loved ones of the missing are waiting for updates in a gazebo close to the scene

‘Unfortunately, there’s still no real progress from actually finding people. So, look, that’s really hard,’ he added.

‘We’re here with the families, and as you can imagine, just that uncertainty of where they are and when we might have a result is pretty hard.’

In the wake of the landslide, locals and passers-by rushed to help free those trapped, climbing onto the roof of a displaced toilet block to reach the caravan.

Desperate screams were heard underneath the twisted rubble, which fell silent after 15 minutes.

The campground was then evacuated as rescue efforts continue at the campground. 

Roadblocks have been erected in affected areas to keep the public away.

The wild weather continues, with the MetService issuing a strong wind warning for the region from Friday morning into Saturday, with concerns the weather could topple trees. 

In Warkworth near Auckland, a man in his 40s was swept away in his car in the swollen Mahurangi River, while a passenger managed to scramble to safety.

Huge swathes of the North Island were smashed by torrential rain on Wednesday, with meteorologists MetService issuing a rare red weather warning for a ‘threat to life’

Thousands of people in Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Tairawhiti were also left without power after the storm and flooding

Police continued their search for the missing motorist on Thursday, while further east, rescue efforts were underway for stranded locals in the remote Tairawhiti region.

People have been trapped on rooftops in Te Araroa, with Mark Law – the helicopter pilot involved in rescue efforts after the deadly 2019 Whakaari-White Island volcanic eruption – telling Radio NZ he was assisting with checks in the area.

Thousands of people in Northland, Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Tairawhiti were also left without power after the storm and flooding.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon issued a public warning as he visited one of the weather-impacted regions in the Coromandel Peninsula on Friday

‘On the ground here in Thames after weather has severely impacted the Thames-Coromandel region,’ he said.

‘Even though the heavy rain has passed, the large amount of rainfall leaves many parts of the region particularly vulnerable to landslides and fallen trees.

‘These can be extremely dangerous. Stay alert and look for warning signs: small slips, rock falls, sinking land or unusual noises.’