Swells: Wednesday swim possible in Hawke's Bay, but be careful

On Tuesday Waipatiki Beach lifeguards put up 'no swimming' flags. Photo / Paul Taylor

If you're going for a swim in the heat of the sun tomorrow , stay safe.

There's realistically just one day where it is going to be safe and hot to take a dip in the region this week, because a cold front is set to drop temperatures significantly on Thursday afternoon.

Hawke's Bay Civil Defence Emergency Management Group Controller Ian Macdonald said his initial advice for people to keep out of the water until Wednesday stood as some big swells from the remnants of Cyclone Cody continued to hit the region today .

While the tsunami threat has passed, the latest scientific advice is that strong and unusual currents on the East Coast of the North Island are set to continue for at least another 24 hours, Macdonald said.

"Normal" wave conditions were likely for Wednesday but MetService Meteorologist Luis Fernandes said a cold front would drop temperatures down from 29C on Wednesday to the early 20s on Thursday afternoon and Friday, before rising again to the mid-20s over the weekend.

Surf lifesaving national search and rescue manager Allan Mundy said Napier's Westshore beach and the Pacific beach down to Te Awanga were hit by swells of roughly three metres on Tuesday morning.

The waves were dangerous for swimmers and beach walkers, however the conditions were largely safe for surfers, who returned to the water in droves, Mundy said.

Lifeguards put out "no swimming" and "dangerous wave" signs at the Pacific Beach club on Marine Parade and Waipatiki, with swimmers to the north of Napier choosing the Waipatiki Lagoon as a place to cool off instead.

On Tuesday morning surf lifesavers put out no swimming and dangerous wave signs along Napier's Pacific beach. Photo / Warren Buckland

On Tuesday Waipatiki Beach lifeguards put up 'no swimming' flags. Photo / Paul Taylor

Although swells may be to big for swimmers Waipatiki lagoon is a safe swimming spot for those looking to cool down. Photo / Paul Taylor

This morning the easterly swells generated by the cyclone were being measured by MetService at an average height of 2m.

Fernandes said this wasn't necessarily an accurate reflection of the wave height in the region because the measurement was done in a sheltered part of Napier Port.

One wave was recorded at 3.5m on Monday evening, with Clifton and Haumoana given a battering of sea spray at high tide.

Exposed Haumoana was hit by waves from the unusual easterly swells. Photo / Andrew Brunton

Fernandes said for the most part the region and New Zealand had been spared the full brunt of the storm but that wave height, particularly given it was coming from the east, was "pretty decent".

Fernandes said while the tsunami from the Tongan eruption was measured in Aotearoa, the consistent big swells were directly attributed to winds whipped up by Cyclone Cody.

Boarders and boaties in the water at Ahuriri on Monday. Photo / Warren Buckland