Photographer Clay Drummond took this footage of a tornado about 5km south of Whakatāne.

After a fruitless fortnight tornado hunting in the USA earlier in the year Josh Hickford could hardly believe it when he saw a massive twister in his own city.

The 29-year-old chartered accountant was driving home from work in New Plymouth on Monday night when he saw a tornado ripping through the sky.

"I still can't believe that just happened," he said.

Simon O'Connor Iron roofing was particularly vulnerable to the tornado's violence.

Two tornados have struck homes in the North Island causing extensive damage - one in New Plymouth and another near Whakatāne.

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Hickford said he had always been fascinated by extreme weather and in May had spent two weeks chasing storms in America, but never got to see a tornado.

This tornado was filmed at Ohope beach near Whakatāne.

On Monday night, as he drove home from work along Vivian St, he could hardly believe he was seeing one in his hometown.

"I was driving along and then hail hit my car. I thought straight away that's prime conditions for tornado. And then there it was in front of me," he said.

Sergeant Peter Lawn confirmed a twister had cut through the area about 5.30pm and damaged up to 30 houses.

Simon O'Connor The tornado's swathe of destruction is largely contained to Belt Rd in central New Plymouth.

"There has been quite extensive damage to some houses," Lawn said.

A roof has been torn off and a tree uprooted near the intersection of Belt Rd and St Aubyn St.

An incident control point, manned by police, firefighters and St John ambulance has been set up at the intersection of St Aubyn St and Belt Rd.

SCARLETT LAWSON/SUPPLIED Tornado tears into New Plymouth.

There had been no reports of injuries, Lawn said.

Mike Dowd, French St, said he knew straight away it was a twister.

"It was an indescribable roar, it was unbelievable," Dowd said.

Josh Hickford The tornado hit New Plymouth about 5.30 on Monday night.

"I knew straight away because I could just see the shed shaking."

Dowd cars had had windscreens smashed after being lifted up, the top of a 12 metre palm tree had been ripped off knocking down a concrete chimney as it flew through the air.

"The devastation from that short amount of time was just phenomenal."

SIMON O'CONNOR/STUFF A tornado tore through New Plymouth on Monday evening, damaging multiple properties.

He said once the twister had passed people from the neighbourhood began pitching in and checking on each other to make sure everyone was ok.

Ella Symes was heartbroken to arrive and find the twister had torn the roof off her late mother's house on Belt Rd.

"I got the phone call from my sister and basically she told me there has been a tornado, so we drove down here straight away," Symes said.

Simon OConnor At least one house lost parts of its roof. Trees have also been uprooted and trampolines scattered.

She arrived to find the street cordoned off and had to walk pass firefighters and debris to get to the house.

"It was pretty heartbreaking. It's the roof all the way to the lounge."

Symes said the twister had also knocked down a willow tree and damaged the garage and fence.

Simon OConnor A glowing red sunset dominated the sky after a tornado hit New Plymouth about 5.30pm on Monday.

Belt Rd resident Ian Malloy said he had watched the tornado roar in.

"There was just a bang and then a big rumble and it went careering through. The door flew open and started blowing everything around," he said.

Malloy said he had lost his fence, his trampoline was in a creek and two trees had been blown over.

Jayne Moore said she had just got home to her house at the seaside end of Belt Rd when the twister hit.

"I just heard lots of banging and crashing and thunder. I wasn't too worried at the start. I was just amazed at how much rain had come down," she said.

However, her boyfriend then told her to hold the door because a tornado was coming and she spent the next minute hanging onto the rattling door.

Gary Burn, who lives on St Aubyn St, said his house had suffered damage in the brief but violent tornado.

"I didn't see much but I heard a big noise," he said.

Wooden fence stakes were impaled on his lawn and several windows were shattered. His neighbours roof had been torn off.

Lightning, thunder and heavy rain have lashed the city since mid afternoon.

Power has been cut to parts of the city.

Tornados are not an infrequent hazard in New Plymouth.

In 2007 a Placemakers hardware store was severely damaged when a tornado tore into central New Plymouth.

Four years later swarms of tornados hit New Plymouth city, Bell Block and Omata all in one day.

There have also been reports of a tornado striking Ohope near Whakatane in the Bay of Plenty just before 6pm, causing damage to six houses on Harbour Road.

A Stuff reader first spotted the tornado out to sea when it was a waterspout.

"I just looked up and I saw it and at first I thought White Island had exploded because it had come from that position and it looked like it was going upwards."

When she saw it move, she knew it was a huge waterspout.

"As it started to come in to Ohope, I thought I was going to have to go down to the basement and take cover."

When she saw it was not going to hit her, she grabbed her camera.

"It was just an amazing thing to see."

Five fire appliances have been called to assist damage to houses, which includes roofs being torn off and windows broken.

There are no reports of injuries.