Egg-sized hail smashed through roofs, destroyed greenhouses and damaged parked cars as a short-lived but vicious storm swept up the east coast.
Timaru and then Ashburton bore the brunt of the up-to-10-minute lashing which left a trail of damage to homes and businesses.
Fire and Emergency New Zealand attended more than 20 hail-related incidents between noon and 3pm.
Photo: Luke McGoldrick
