Deadly Landslide Strikes New Zealand Campsite After Record Rain

On the morning of January 22, 2026, the serenity of Mount Maunganui’s Beachside Holiday Park was shattered when a massive landslide tore through the popular New Zealand campsite, trapping several people under a torrent of mud and debris. The disaster, triggered by days of relentless rain and flooding, has left the nation reeling, with emergency crews racing against time in a complex and dangerous rescue operation.

The landslide, which struck at 9:30 a.m. local time, was one of several catastrophic events to hit New Zealand’s North Island after a tropical low unleashed record-breaking rainfall across the region. According to New Zealand police, the Beachside Holiday Park was bustling with hundreds of campers when the hillside suddenly gave way, overturning campervans, crushing tents, and destroying a toilet and shower block. Assistant Police Commissioner Tim Anderson addressed reporters at the scene, emphasizing the uncertainty of the situation: "I can't be drawn on numbers. What I can say is that it is single figures."

Eyewitness accounts described scenes of chaos and terror as the landslide roared down the slope. Nix Jaques, a camper, recounted to Radio New Zealand, “I heard an incredibly loud noise as I was about to walk up a mountain. I saw land come down on cars and on the toilet block. I believe there were some people in the showers, and it shifted a campervan, there was a family with a campervan.” Australian tourist Sonny Worrall, who narrowly escaped the disaster, told 1News, “I looked behind me and there’s a huge landslide coming down. And I’m still shaking from it now. I turned around and I had to jump out from my seat as fast as I could and just run. It was like the scariest thing I’ve ever experienced in my life.”

Emergency services responded immediately, but the operation quickly became fraught with peril. Fire and Emergency New Zealand commander William Pike explained, “There was a shower block and a, sort of, combined shower block-kitchen block and there were people using that at the time the slide came through and they are some of the ones that we're working hard to try and recover now.” Rescue workers initially heard voices calling for help from beneath the rubble, but as the day wore on, those signs faded. Pike added, “Members of the public ... tried to get into the rubble and did hear some voices. Our initial fire crew arrived and … were able to hear the same. Shortly after our initial crew arrived, we withdrew everyone from the site due to possible movement and slip.”

The instability of the hillside forced crews to pull back, and sniffer dogs were brought in to aid the search. Megan Stiffler, a fire and emergency services official, described the challenge: “This is a complex and high-risk environment. The teams will be operating overnight until the search is complete.” As of Thursday night, no survivors or bodies had been recovered from the Mount Maunganui rubble. Police confirmed that the number of people missing remained in the single digits, with children believed to be among them. Mayor Mahe Drysdale noted that some of those initially unaccounted for may have left the campground without notifying authorities, complicating efforts to ascertain the exact number of missing.

Elsewhere on the North Island, the toll of the extreme weather continued to mount. At 4:50 a.m. on the same day, a separate landslide struck a house in Welcome Bay, killing two people and injuring another. Two residents managed to escape, but the bodies of the deceased were recovered after hours of painstaking rescue work. Further north near Warkworth, police were searching for a 47-year-old man swept away in his vehicle while attempting to cross a flooded river. His wife told Radio New Zealand she remained hopeful, citing his experience as a fisherman and swimmer.

The scale of the disaster is staggering. The Bay of Plenty region, where Mount Maunganui is located, recorded its wettest day on record, with the nearby city of Tauranga receiving about 295mm of rain in just over 30 hours—equivalent to two and a half months’ worth of rainfall. Local states of emergency have been declared in Northland, Coromandel Peninsula, Tairawhiti, Hauraki, and parts of the Bay of Plenty. Thousands of people remain without power, and floodwaters have cut off entire towns. At least 8,000 households were still without electricity as of Thursday, down from 16,000 earlier in the week. Fire and Emergency New Zealand reported responding to more than 230 weather-related callouts since January 20, including dramatic rooftop rescues and evacuations from flooded homes.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon addressed the nation, expressing his condolences and pledging government support for affected communities. “The weather events of the past 48 hours have been a profound tragedy, claiming lives and devastating livelihoods,” Luxon said. He praised emergency crews, stating, “All those who are putting themselves in harm’s way to keep Kiwis safe, the whole country is grateful.” Opposition Labour Party leader Chris Hipkins echoed these sentiments, offering his “deepest sympathy to those who have lost loved ones or are still waiting for news, and to everyone who has been forced from their homes or injured.”

Scientists point to climate change as a driving factor behind the increasing frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events. James Renwick, professor of climate science at Victoria University of Wellington, observed, “It seems that these days, every storm brings with it orange or red flood warnings and devastation and misery somewhere in the country. Sadly, this is exactly what we expect with a warmer climate that has more moisture in the air.”

Looking ahead, New Zealand’s National Emergency Management Agency warned that further heavy rain was expected through Thursday and into the weekend, falling on already saturated ground and increasing the risk of additional landslides, flooding, and dangerous river conditions. MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane cautioned, “These impacts are likely to be long and far-reaching and may extend into the long weekend ahead for popular holiday hotspots.” In light of the ongoing crisis, businesses and public offices are scheduled to close on January 26 for Auckland’s anniversary day, providing some measure of respite for exhausted responders and anxious residents alike.

The landslide at Mount Maunganui stands as a stark reminder of the power of nature and the vulnerability of even the most cherished holiday destinations. As rescue efforts continue and the nation braces for more rain, the thoughts of New Zealanders are with those still missing—and with the families and communities forever changed by this tragedy.