Two waterspouts were filmed swirling off Foxton Beach in Manawatū this morning.
It comes as a thunderstorm swept through the area, bringing waterspouts, lightning and "decent sized hail".
Peter Halcrow first spotted the waterspouts from a wharf around 9.40am, before racing to the Foxton Beach Surf Lifesaving club for a better look.
"There were quite a few people down there having a look," he said. "I've never seen a waterspout before, let alone two."
The waterspouts crossed paths at one point in the video taken by Halcrow. He said they appeared to merge at one stage.
Halcrow said the waterspouts were accompanied by "decent size hail" that pelted his car.
MetService meteorologist Luis Fernandes said a thunderstorm was spotted on radar passing over Foxton Beach, which was responsible for the waterspouts.
"They would have been drawing energy from the ocean which would have fizzled out over land," he said.
He said the storm, which also brought lightning strikes, moved inland across the country.
The only weather watches in place for New Zealand today are for the west coast of the lower South Island.
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