Mount Maunganui, Tauranga, New Zealand – A major landslide struck a popular holiday park at the base of Mount Maunganui on the morning of January 21, 2026, following heavy rainfall, leaving widespread destruction, multiple injuries, and at least two confirmed deaths.

Video filmed by local eyewitness Glen shows the aftermath of the massive earth slip. A steep hillside bears a huge scar of raw reddish-brown soil and clay, with cracks and displaced ground marking where the slide began.

At the base, thick debris blankets the campsite, including large boulders, broken tree trunks, mud, and scattered vegetation. Tents, caravans, mobile homes, and facilities such as a toilet and shower block are crushed or partially buried. Campervans and caravans are displaced, some swept into pathways or hot pools, while debris blocks access roads.

Emergency responders in high-visibility gear are on site, securing the area with cones, caution tape, and barriers. Police, fire, and rescue teams, assisted by heavy machinery and sniffer dogs, are assessing stability, searching for survivors, and clearing paths.

The surrounding area includes green coastal hillsides, nearby homes and apartments, urban infrastructure, and glimpses of the ocean or harbor under post-rain skies. Several people remain missing, including children, while night-time rescue operations continue.

The landslide was triggered by intense rainfall from a tropical low moving across the North Island, saturating soils and causing multiple slips, including this catastrophic event at the Beachside Holiday Park. A state of emergency has been declared in the Bay of Plenty, with road closures, evacuations, and appeals for witnesses underway.

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