An 82-year-old woman who was hanging out her washing in Wellington received minor injuries after what appeared to be a tornado ripped through her entire garage.
Her grandson, Griffin Almand, said she had a "bit of a knock" to her head, along with a "gash" on her leg.
Wheelie bins, which held up part of the structure, helped her escape.
But her home, and others nearby, suffered major damage.
"I think she's been in this house for [a couple of decades], so it's pretty tough to take I guess," said Almand.
While some have called the event a tornado, MetService is describing it as a supercharged southerly change.
"There was a severe thunderstorm embedded in the change and a whole lot of atmospherics that brought about the intensity. I would say that in the six years that I've been in Wellington I think it's the strongest southerly change that I've seen," said MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris.
As for her grandson, he's extremely grateful his nana got out alive.
"Incredibly grateful aye. It wouldn't be a great way to lose your nana, really grateful," said Almand.
Some shops in the area are now closed for the busy Christmas period after the weather event.
Lower Hutt Dominos manager Blair Stark said: "Suddenly the sky got really dark. Heard a massive rumbling and a huge gust of wind hit the front door. It smashed."
"It came out of nowhere, sun was shining earlier in the day and 40 minutes after it happened all the rain and stuff had gone," said another resident.
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