A deadly landslide that tore through a popular campground at the base of Mount Maunganui on New Zealand’s North Island has left six people missing and two confirmed dead in a separate but related slip nearby, raising urgent questions for travelers about safety in one of the country’s busiest summer hotspots.

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What Happened at Mount Maunganui

The landslide struck around 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, 22 January 2026, when a section of the steep hillside on Mauao, the volcanic cone overlooking Mount Maunganui, collapsed after days of intense rain. The slip crashed into the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park, a campground that sits beside the Mount Hot Pools and just steps from the town’s famous surf beach.

Soil, rock and vegetation surged through the southeastern corner of the campground, crushing campervans, cars, tents and a toilet and shower block. Witnesses described a roar like an explosion and then a wave of mud and debris swallowing parts of the holiday park in seconds. Some said they heard screams and voices from the rubble before emergency crews arrived and cordoned off the site.

Authorities have classed the incident as a major emergency and warned that the slope above the campground remains unstable. Search teams have been working methodically across the debris field, which is tangled with vehicles, tree trunks and shattered structures. Officials say the operation is dangerous and technically complex, and could take days before the area is fully cleared.

Six Missing, Two Dead and a Community in Shock

Police have confirmed that six people are currently unaccounted for in connection with the campground landslide, including two teenagers, the youngest just 15. Investigators are also trying to trace three other people believed to have been staying in or near the campground, thought to be tourists who may have left the area without contacting authorities. For now, those three are treated as persons of interest to the inquiry rather than confirmed missing.

In a separate but related incident earlier on Thursday, a landslide in the nearby suburb of Welcome Bay, Papamoa, destroyed a home and killed two people, identified locally as a grandmother and her grandchild. Two others managed to escape, and one was taken to hospital with serious injuries. Officials have linked both slips to the same intense storm system that has battered the North Island’s east coast.

Relatives of the missing have gathered near the cordon at Mount Maunganui, supported by police liaison officers, local iwi representatives and welfare teams. Tauranga’s mayor has described the atmosphere as one of anguish and uncertainty as families wait for news from the search operation. Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and senior ministers have visited the region, calling the situation an absolute tragedy and promising support for those affected.

How the Storm Set the Stage for Disaster

The landslip at Mount Maunganui is part of a broader pattern of destructive weather that has lashed large parts of New Zealand’s North Island since mid January. The latest storm system delivered record rainfall totals across the Bay of Plenty, Coromandel and other eastern regions in the 24 hours leading up to the slip, overwhelming stormwater systems and saturating hillsides.

Geotechnical experts say that steep coastal slopes like Mauao are particularly vulnerable when prolonged, intense rain seeps deep into the soil and rock, increasing weight and reducing stability along existing fracture lines. Once a critical threshold is reached, even a small trigger such as a local downpour or a minor seismic tremor can cause a hillside to fail.

Fire and Emergency New Zealand reported hundreds of weather related callouts in the days before the incident, including flooding, fallen trees and smaller slips across roads and residential areas. Civil defence authorities had issued strong warnings about continuing risks of landslides, urging people to avoid unstable slopes and heed road closures. Locals say the ground around the Mount had already been visibly saturated before Thursday’s collapse.

The Search Operation and What Officials Are Saying Now

Specialist Urban Search and Rescue teams, firefighters, police and paramedics have been working around the clock on the debris field at the campground. Excavators and cranes are being used in tandem with hand tools and search dogs, as crews carefully remove layers of rubble while monitoring the slope for signs of further movement.

Emergency managers have repeatedly described the search zone as a high risk environment, with unstable ground, underground voids and heavy debris that could shift without warning. Work has been slowed at times to reassess safety, and access to the Mount itself has been completely closed while engineers carry out geotechnical assessments of the wider cone and surrounding tracks.

Officials stress that, as of Friday, the operation at Mount Maunganui is still formally a rescue mission, though no survivors have yet been recovered from the site. Police say it may be several days before they can definitively complete the search, identify all those affected and reopen parts of the area to the public. They have asked anyone with photos or video of the landslide to share them directly with investigators to help piece together exactly how the slip unfolded.

Impact on a Major Tourist Hotspot

Mount Maunganui is one of New Zealand’s signature summer destinations, drawing domestic and international visitors to its long white sand beach, surf breaks and the walking tracks that climb Mauao for sweeping views of Tauranga Harbour and the Pacific. The beachfront campground, which sits between the base of the Mount and the ocean, is typically at or near capacity in January as families park caravans and motorhomes for the school holidays.

In the wake of the disaster, the entire Beachside Holiday Park has been evacuated and closed, and the Mount Hot Pools complex remains shut after being partially inundated by debris. Authorities have urged sightseers to stay away from the area so that emergency vehicles can move freely and responders can work without interference. The closure includes popular walking trails around and up the Mount, restricting access to one of the region’s most iconic viewpoints.

Local businesses report a sudden, somber shift in the mood of the usually festive resort town. Cafes and shops that remained open on Friday have seen fewer customers, and many visitors have chosen to shorten their stay or relocate to accommodation further along the coast. Tourism operators say their main focus at the moment is supporting the community and first responders, rather than promoting excursions.

Is It Safe to Travel to Mount Maunganui Right Now

For travelers with imminent plans to visit Mount Maunganui or the wider Tauranga area, the immediate priority is to monitor official advice. As of Friday, local authorities have not imposed a blanket ban on travel to the broader Bay of Plenty region, but they have kept the Mount itself, the affected campground and surrounding cordons strictly off limits. Civil defence officials are also warning of ongoing risks of further slips in weather impacted zones.

Prospective visitors should expect significant restrictions around the peninsula that frames Mount Maunganui’s beachfront, including road closures, detours and a visible emergency services presence. Access to some seafront car parks, walking tracks and recreation areas may be either closed or heavily controlled. Anyone planning to hike Mauao or stay at the Beachside Holiday Park in the near term should assume those activities will not be possible until authorities complete safety assessments and announce a phased reopening.

Elsewhere in Tauranga and along the Bay of Plenty coast, many tourism businesses and accommodations continue to operate, but local conditions can change quickly with the weather. Heavy rain remains in the forecast for parts of the region, and saturated ground means that even moderate falls could trigger additional slips on roads and hillsides. Travelers should build flexibility into their plans, expect delays and heed any new warnings from local councils and emergency management agencies.

Practical Advice for Travelers Considering a Trip

Anyone due to arrive in the region in the coming days should contact their accommodation and tour providers before traveling to confirm operating status, refund or change options and any site specific safety measures. Many campground and hotel operators are reviewing their bookings around Mount Maunganui, particularly for sites close to cliffs, dunes or steep slopes. Some may voluntarily close or relocate guests while geotechnical reports are pending.

Travel insurance policies often include provisions for trip disruption caused by natural disasters, but coverage terms can vary widely. Travelers are advised to check whether their policy includes natural hazard or weather related cancellations and what documentation is required, such as evidence of civil defence warnings, accommodation closure or transport disruption. In some cases, airlines and ferry operators may offer fee free changes for services to and from affected areas during a declared emergency period.

On the ground, visitors who do proceed with travel to the wider Bay of Plenty should exercise extra caution around cliffs, coastal tracks and riverbanks. Officials encourage people to stay away from cordoned zones, obey signage and avoid walking or driving under obviously unstable slopes, especially after heavy or prolonged rain. Locals say that while the region remains welcoming to guests, the priority in the days ahead is respecting the grief of families and the work of rescuers.

What This Means for the Future of Tourism at Mount Maunganui

Thursday’s tragedy has already prompted calls for a formal review of how risk is managed in high demand visitor areas like Mount Maunganui, where campgrounds, hot pools and walking tracks are clustered beneath a steep volcanic cone. Questions are likely to focus on whether earlier signs of slope instability were detected, how storm warnings were conveyed to operators and visitors, and whether certain parts of the holiday park should have been closed before the slip occurred.

New Zealand’s tourism industry has faced increasing scrutiny over exposure to climate related hazards, from flooding and coastal erosion to landslides on scenic roads and hiking routes. The January storm sequence has underscored how rapidly conditions can deteriorate and how vulnerable some of the country’s most iconic destinations are when extreme rain hits saturated terrain. For coastal towns like Mount Maunganui that rely heavily on summer visitors, balancing access and safety is likely to become an even sharper policy challenge.

For now, officials and residents alike say the focus is firmly on finding the missing, supporting bereaved families and stabilizing the landscape around the Mount. When the immediate emergency has passed, the debate will turn to how and when to rebuild, what parts of the campground and surrounding facilities can safely reopen, and what changes may be needed to ensure that future visitors can enjoy this celebrated headland with greater confidence in the ground beneath their feet.