Cyclone Rene lets Tonga off lightly

The cyclone that flattened homes and felled powerlines in Tonga is expected to generate some bigger than normal waves along New Zealand's east coast this week.

MetService lead forecaster Sarah Garlick said Cyclone Rene was heading southwest of Tonga and weakening last night.

While it was not expected to hit New Zealand, it would generate a small perk for surfers - swells of up to 2m were expected along the east coast between the Bay of Plenty and the Far North for the next few days.

Cyclone Rene struck Tonga at 7pm on Sunday, with the eye lashing the islands for about an hour and a half. While the country is now in clean-up mode and still assessing the damage, there are no reports of deaths or injuries.

New Zealand's Acting High Commissioner in Tonga, Sean Torbit, told the Herald the cyclone, which reached category four on a scale of five, was "an awesome event" to witness.

Luckily, despite the show it put on, the destruction was not as bad as expected.

"In general terms the cyclone hasn't done as much damage as it could have, apart from quite a lot of fallen trees and debris and the odd telephone pole which has come down.

"Some houses have been destroyed but by and large the majority are fine ... it certainly could have been worse. Tonga has dodged a bullet."

Mr Torbit said there were 135 New Zealanders registered in Tonga and about 300 living or holidaying there at the moment. He had not received any requests for help and did not believe any New Zealanders were injured.

Matangi Tonga news website editor Pesi Fonua said the islanders had coped with worse. While the weather had improved greatly, the cyclone's after-effects were still being felt.

"I think we can cope with this one except the only problem now is that there is no power. There's lots of powerlines down on the ground and that's having an impact on a lot of things."

Transport was also a problem.

Some buildings have been damaged. Many crops, such as mangos and breadfruit, were also destroyed.

Mr Fonua said people who were struggling before the cyclone would feel the effects more.

"People are managing all right but in a situation like this what was difficult becomes more difficult, but at least nobody died."

He said it was fortunate the cyclone did not strike during the peak tourist season.

Twelve chainsaws and related-safety equipment from New Zealand, requested by the Government of Tonga, were due to arrive last night to assist with clean-up.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said further NZ emergency supplies were available if needed.

It is still assisting the Cook Islands, which were hit by Cyclone Pat last week. An initial contribution of $200,000 has been made and an Air Force Hercules is transporting relief supplies and a Defence Force engineering team to Aitutaki.

A Ministry spokesman encouraged New Zealanders in Tonga to call home and let family know they were all right.

People looking to travel to Tonga should check with their travel agent if flights or services had been disrupted.