Cyclone Meena puts wedding into a spin

It WAS meant to be a stress-free wedding followed by a romantic island honeymoon - but the phrase whirlwind romance took on new meaning for a Bay couple in the Cook Islands.
Tauranga's Scott Inglis and Natalie Peake planned to wed on the beach, enjoy a light lunch and then relax at the Rarotonga Beach Resort.
But Cyclone Meena spun their matrimonial plans into chaos, forcing them to return to New Zealand before tying the knot.
As the clean up began today, Mr Inglis, 33, who is also the Bay of Plenty Times deputy editor, and bride-to-be Ms Peake, 30, an accountant, were hoping to return to the Pacific islands tomorrow to get married.
"We thought having the wedding over there would be stress-free and all we would have to do was walk out on to the beach and get married," Mr Inglis said from Auckland yesterday.
But the cruel hand dealt by Mother Nature has not deterred the couple.
They were today awaiting confirmation from the resort that their wedding would go ahead.
"We are going back - barring any last minute hitches," Mr Inglis said.
Before setting off from New Zealand, the couple checked internet weather forecasts that showed nothing of Cyclone Meena.
They flew out on Saturday and when they touched down on the island, the weather was hot.
During their first night at the resort, the manager broke the news to guests that the cyclone was bearing down on the island. They were given the option of flying home or sticking it out.
The Tauranga couple decided to stay. But the next day the cyclone was upgraded and they opted to fly home.
"It was all a bit more serious and it was expected to intensify and be much nastier," Mr Inglis said.
They have since been staying in Auckland while reorganising their trip.
"It's such a lovely place and normally warm and sunny. The people are great and the resort is first class," Mr Inglis said.
Meanwhile, Cook Islands residents today breathed easier as Cyclone Meena moved south, leaving only flooding and minor structural damage in its wake.
John Strickland, from the Cook Island National Emergency Operations Centre in Avarua, said people who had been evacuated were slowly moving back to residential areas.
Meena packed winds of up to 245 kmh, pounding buildings in Rarotonga's capital Avarua.
Wind also downed trees, ripped up roads, and caused minor damage to Aitutake Island to the north - with huge waves wrecking some waterfront buildings.
Mr Strickland said the clean up was already going well.
After clearing the main island's airport, bulldozers went to work clearing debris from near the capital, where surging seas ripped up roads, destroyed a wharf-front restaurant and damaged other buildings along Rarotonga's northern coast.
Residents, pre-warned of Meena's power, had moved to higher ground and shelters before the storm ripped into the islands.