Cyclone Cook is bringing what has been called the worst storm to hit New Zealand since the 1968 Wahine disaster, just a week after Edgecumbe flooded.
The cyclone killed one person in New Caledonia. Ahead of it, a low-pressure system has already arrived in this country from the Tasman Sea.
READ the full story as the weather hits Auckland
A state of emergency is in place in Bay of Plenty and the Thames-Coromandel District. Holidaymakers are being warned to stay away for the next few days.
Check the latest MetService severe weather warnings and, if you have to travel, the latest road information from the NZ Transport Agency. Check flights with Air New Zealand.
A list of school closures is available here.
Holidaymakers warned not to travel to Coromandel over Easter
Civil Defence says the Coromandel is already fragile after last month’s storm and it can’t take more holiday traffic over Easter.
Thames Valley civil defence controller Garry Towler said the ground was still saturated and there have been hundreds of slips in the last few weeks.
Mr Towler said the area was in no condition to accomodate more people over the holiday weekend.
“Anybody contemplating coming on to the peninsula, we’re just advising don’t come until at least Saturday and even then if you check all the current websites and listen to the media reports.
“Because one, you’re not going to get through, and two, if you do get through it’s likely that you’re going to be isolated for the next two or three days.”
PCE warns of more common severe weather
Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Jan Wright has told Checkpoint New Zealanders should expect more severe weather events with climate change.
She said a one-degree increase in the global average temperature means a 7 percent increase in the amount of water in the atmosphere.
Little to visit Edgecumbe families
Labour Leader Andrew Little is tomorrow set to visit families forced from their Edgecumbe homes by last week’s floods.
He will visit Rautahi Marae in Kawerau, Kokohinau Marae in Te Teko and Whakatāne War Memorial Hall.
Upper NI ‘will see’ landslips, roads closed, flash floods – MetService
MetService meteorologist Georgina Griffiths told Checkpoint‘s John Campbell people should prepare themselves for the worst.
“Really carefully plan about whether you even want to go away until things are settled down because we will see landslips, we will roads gone, we will see flash flooding at some point in the next 48 hours in the upper North Island.”
Eastern Bay of Plenty could be cut off, council warns
Authorities are warning torrential rain could cut off the eastern Bay of Plenty in the next two days.
The entire Bay of Plenty is under a state of emergency as the approaching storm threatens the rain-soaked region.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder said the focus had been on more rain in flood-hit Edgecumbe.
He warned the weather could cut off the main road to towns like Whakatane and Opotiki.
He said the Eastern Bay of Plenty would be cut off if access was lost to Waiweka Gorge to Gisborne, State Highway 30 to Rotorua and State Highway 2 between Matata and Tauranga.
Whakatāne District mayor Tony Bonne said he was confident people would be given early warning to evacuate if necessary.
He said the biggest threat was stormwater flooding and urged people in slip-prone places like Ohope Beach to evacuate if there was a danger.
Cyclone closes 94 schools, 130 ECE centres – Link
The link in the Ministry of Education tweet is broken.
See Ministry advice on the 94 closed schools and 130 closed early learning centres here.
Great Barrier
Great Barrier Island’s local board chairperson says they’re in for a rough few hours when Cyclone Cook hits.
Metservice has said the island will be hit first by the Cyclone, about 1pm tomorrow.
Chairperson Izzy Fordham said residents on the island had been briefed about what to expect, and they were prepared.
“We’ve got the message out to all our communities, [and to] our vulnerable people through our health team here.
“Schools, we’ve advised them to close tomorrow so they’ve taken that on board, given the kids an extra day off.
“Basically saying to people stay home, stay warm, and stay safe and make sure you’ve got drinking water in there with you.”
Cyclone closes 94 schools, 130 ECE centres
Life-long Edgecumbe resident unsure if she will return
A woman whose Edgecumbe home has been damaged beyond repair says she’s not sure she wants to return.
Ursula Mayo said she had lived in the house she and her husband built for 45 years, but now it’s wrecked.
She told Checkpoint she had been offered a flat in Whakatāne, and that would give her time to figure out where to live.
“I’d prefer to do that and have time to think about what we’re going to do.
“You know, where I’m going to go, whether you’re going to – I couldn’t really rebuild on that section.
“I don’t particularly now want to go back. I’ve lived there all my life.”
Ms Mayo said many of her neighbours were in a similarly bad situation, and some were having to look after young children at the same time.
The Fire Service says its had 44 calls out to flooded properties in the Auckland region after today’s downpour.
Shift manager Jaron Phillips said calls were still coming in, mostly from Te Aroha and Matamata.
Mr Phillips said crews were at the properties sandbagging basements.
He said the North Shore, West Auckland and Papakura were most affected earlier today.
Civil Defence emergency in Thames-Coromandel
A civil defence emergency has been declared for the Thames-Coromandel District.
Mayor Sandra Goudie said the high likelihood Cyclone Cook would hit the Coromandel Peninsula, bringing heavy rain tomorrow, was a major concern.
She said some residents living in low coastal areas may need to be evacuated.
Ms Goudie warned any holiday-makers to stay away from the Coromandel area until at least Saturday or potentially face closed roads and being cut off.
RNZ reporter Jessie Chiang took these pictures at the carpark of a gym at the Three Kings complex in Auckland:
The rain is now falling steadily again on the flood devastated town of Edgecumbe.
RNZ reporter Sharon Brettkelly is there and said the rain had arrived as predicted.
“They’re just waiting to see, they’ve got everybody ready to evacuate if they have to but right now all the main roads are open.
“They’re saying their biggest concern is the stormwater in Whakatane and Edgecumbe and I guess some of those smaller towns in eastern bop
“They’re keeping a close watch on them and if they show any signs of causing flooding they’re going to evacuate.
She said civil defence was ready to take action if needed as the rain continues over the next 24 to 48 hours.
MetService notes the Cyclone itself is expected to sweep over the country on Thursday, but a low being pushed ahead of it is already affecting much of the North Island and parts of the South.
-RNZ
