Missed family by seconds
A DECISION made only minutes before a tree crashed through the roof of a campervan near Kingston early yesterday saved a 6yearold boy from being crushed.
Justin Wealleans said he, his wife Ine and their sons Niko (6) and Casey (4), of Christchurch, were spending the night in the rental vehicle at a lakeside reserve just north of Kingston when the tree came down during violent winds about 2am.
A little earlier, unable to sleep because of the noise, he and his wife had got out of bed and were sitting in the front of the vehicle, debating whether to move to a more sheltered position, Mr Wealleans said.
‘‘It was fullon — it felt like the van was about to be picked up and rolled over.’’
A couple of minutes after getting Niko down from his bunk and returning to the driver’s seat, he stood up again.
‘‘The tree then fell through and smashed right on the seat, within seconds of me moving.
‘‘If we hadn’t got our son out of the top bunk, it would’ve hit him, too.’’
Fortunately the top bunk did not collapse far enough to endanger Casey sleeping below.
Mr Wealleans said he forced the door open and banged on the door of another campervan, from where he called the police.
‘‘The wind was that strong we could hardly walk, trees and branches were falling down, and the gravel was flying around and smashing into everything.
‘‘The sound of the lake was unbelievable — the noise of it was so loud you could hardly hear yourself speak.’’
Four days into a 10day trip around the South Island, the family had travelled from Te Anau the day before, joining about a dozen other campervans at the reserve.
Police drove the family to Queenstown, where they checked into a hotel.
‘‘I haven’t slept, I was that wired.
‘‘I was lying there having visions of what would’ve happened if I hadn’t picked up Niko, or if I’d been sitting in that seat for two seconds longer.’’
The rental company delivered a replacement vehicle yesterday, and the family intended to resume their trip today.
‘‘I think we’ll just take our time, and not park under any trees.’’
The galeforce winds also tore through part of the Queenstown suburb of Frankton, ripping roofing off homes and sheds, blowing in windows, damaging fences and bringing down trees and branches.
Robertson St resident John Hamilton said he was woken some time before 2am by a loud roar.
‘‘The first thing in my mind was ‘why’s a jet taking off at this hour of the morning, and why’s it outside my window?’.’’
His home and the homes of his neighbours on each side appeared to have copped the worst damage.
Part of his roof and guttering were blown away, the chimney was toppled and four windows blown in.
The roof of his double garage had completely gone, and debris had damaged two vehicles inside.
His catamaran was blown off its trailer and tipped upside down, breaking a fence in the process, while a large tree was uprooted on the roadside verge next to his home.
Mr Hamilton said he was grateful for the help of volunteer firefighters from the Frankton and Queenstown brigades.
They had arrived quickly and spent three hours helping him and others in the neighbourhood secure loose items.
Mr Hamilton’s neighbour, Jo Reid, said the corner of her roof was blown off, three windows blown in and her shed ‘‘flattened’’.
Her garden was littered with ceiling insulation, broken glass, roofing nails, branches and metal and timber debris.
In nearby Alta Pl, resident Hudson Turnbull said his neighbour saw what appeared to be a ‘‘minitornado’’ hit about 1.45am, coming from the direction of Lake Wakatipu a few hundred metres away.
The fencing on three sides of his own property was damaged in ‘‘a few seconds’’.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand southern fire communications centre shift manager Brent Dunn said firefighters helped residents secure loose roofing iron and other debris in the area, and removed a tree that fell on to a parked vehicle in Riverside Rd.
A roller door was blown in at the Maui Motorhome Rental depot in Lucas Pl, damaging vehicles inside, Mr Dunn said.
The strongest wind gust of 83kmh was recorded at Queenstown Airport about 4am.