Damage as trampoline hurled over 2m fence

Strong winds that battered the Western Bay yesterday are on their way out, just in time for the long weekend.

The MetService was forecasting a mixed bag of weather for Labour Weekend, with rain, cloudy periods and sunshine.

Strong winds on Thursday afternoon resulted in a trampoline being tossed over a fence, into a backyard, shattering two windows.

The homeowner, who wanted to be identified only as Fred, arrived home about 4pm to find two lounge windows smashed.

"I sat down to read the paper and I saw the curtains blowing and I thought someone had broken in," he said.

"But I looked around and everything was still there, then I looked outside and saw the trampoline on the grass."

The strong wind had lifted a large trampoline from his neighbour's property, over a 2m-high shrub fence and on to his back lawn.

The trampoline was left a mangled mess and its metal frame had smashed the two windows in Fred's Greerton home.

At the property, Murray Blackwell, from Express Glass, was replacing the broken windows.

"We do get calls like this after strong winds and storms.

"It can cause a bit of carnage," he said.

The owner of the trampoline was amazed at the strength and power of the wind.

"My husband can't move it by himself, it's really heavy," she said. "It's lucky it didn't cause any more damage."

MetService forecaster Philippa Murdoch said wind speeds had reached up to 50km/h on Thursday, while gusts reached up to 80km/h yesterday.

Out on the water, strong winds made conditions rough but there were few boaties out, Tauranga Coastguard operations manager Simon Barker said: "It's horrible out there.

"We haven't had to assist or rescue anyone. There's a couple of boats out but there have been no problems."

Looking ahead, Ms Murdoch said people in Tauranga today could expect a mixed bag of weather, with fine weather during the day but showers creeping in this evening.

Tomorrow morning rain would develop and become heavier throughout the day, with possibly heavy showers during the evening.

On Monday, it should clear again but there would be a few showers in the morning, with fine spells in the afternoon, she said.

Temperatures were expected to reach between 17C and 19C, with an overnight low of about 6C.