Overview
- MetService expects Vaianu to reach Northland late Saturday with peak impacts Sunday across the North Island under a sweep of red and orange severe-weather warnings.
- Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island are under a red strong wind warning with damaging gusts up to 140 km/h, while ranges in Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty could receive 150 to 180 mm of rain.
- Northland’s seven-day state of emergency began Friday, and on Saturday Whakatāne, Hawke’s Bay, Waikato and Tauranga also declared local emergencies with evacuation orders or advice for low-lying coastal areas.
- Early impacts reported into Sunday included flooding, power outages and fallen trees in parts of Coromandel and Waikato, and officials urged drivers to avoid flooded roads.
- Fire and Emergency deployed enhanced rescue teams and utilities staged extra crews and backup communications as forecasters warned of six to eight metre swells, coastal inundation and slips on already saturated ground.