KARORI HAIL THE SIZE OF "AGGRESSIVE PEAS" RUINS SMOKO, COUPLE OF UTES, AND DEREK'S MOOD
Bloke on a roof in Marsden Village reckons he copped one down the back of his hi-vis and that was the end of morning tea.
Hail described by Karori locals as "aggressive peas" smashed through the suburb about half ten Tuesday morning, leaving one chippie's pie cold, two utes dimpled, and a Facebook group absolutely losing the plot.
Derek Vaillancourt, 41, was up on a re-roof on Donald Street when the southerly turned spiteful. "Pinging off the colorsteel like someone chucking marbles," he told The Daily Yarn. "Got one down the collar. Sounded like a kid's pea-shooter but felt like a bloody bee sting. Smoko was ruined. Pie went cold in about ninety seconds flat."
The Karori Community Notice Board lit up within minutes, with one resident posting a photo of the hail next to a frozen pea "for scale". A reply chain of 84 comments followed, including three arguments about whether it counted as hail or "just rough sleet", and one bloke trying to sell a trampoline.
MetService confirmed the cell was "small but cheeky", and that hail of this size was "consistent with a Wellington Tuesday". A spokesperson added that residents should not, under any circumstances, stand under a skylight to film it, which several did.
Derek's mate Macca, who runs the gutter side of the job, said the dents in his Hilux were "character". Asked if he'd claim it, Macca said: "Nah. Excess is a grand. Peas aren't worth a grand."
The job will be done Tuesday. A different Tuesday.
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Reader Letters
Garry (Halswell)
Bloody weather's gone mad. Back in my day, we didn't complain about hail ruining smoko. Went through four seasons during lunch and still finished the job same day.
BarryBishopdale
Honestly, why didn't they just use an umbrella? Seems obvious to me.
Margaret_F
Donald Street always gets the worst of it. Reminds me of that storm in '98 when the wind took half the roof off the community centre.
couchgremlin
Lol
Sandra McKenzie
It's actually 'just rough sleet' when you look at the sizes. Hail needs to be larger than 5mm to classify.
Just_Saying_Karori
@Sandra McKenzie, they’re saying it’s hail because that’s what it felt like. No one’s measuring with a ruler mid-hailstorm!