Meteorologist Kgolofello Dube said the atmospheric conditions at the time were "favourable" to a tornado forming and, given the damage, it was likely - but Dube could not yet confirm whether it was one.
Firefighters were called to several homes shortly after midnight on Friday after strong winds blew out a sunroom in Elliott St.
There were also reports of lifted roofs, flattened fences and a car being tossed around like it was a matchbox toy.
Fire and Emergency NZ said there were no injuries, but at least 11 houses in the main street of Waitara alone suffered damage.
Tuiti St resident Shirlene Patterson said the wind had ripped off the roof of her home, demolished a greenhouse and took out trees on her property.
Patterson said she was in bed with her young granddaughter beside her at the time.
"I was sound asleep but then I heard the peeling and cracking of the tin coming off, and then a bang. I'm not sure what direction it was going - the bang could have been a tree going, it was a huge bottlebrush tree.
"I had my five-year-old granddaughter in the bedroom with me, I got out of bed and grabbed her and brought her down to the other end of the house and it felt more secure."
Patterson said her granddaughter was "absolutely my first priority". Her villa had "good bones" and that was probably what helped save it.
"The damage is significant. For a 100-year-old house, it's got really good bones and it is really sturdy. [But] the roof, the structure, its apex that was up there, that has all gone."
Patterson said it looked like parts of a neighbouring property that was damaged had hit her house.
At nearby Aratapu St, Susan Duncan thought her Ford Focus had been hit by another vehicle, but the wind had picked it up and thrown it around, smashing windows and denting panel work.
