Residents of the Coromandel Peninsula are preparing for dangerous conditions as a life‑threatening cyclone has put the district under a red alert warning for strong winds.
Cyclone Vaianu is expected to move across New Zealand late Saturday, bringing wind gusts of up to 140km/h to parts of the North Island.
Great Barrier Island has also been upgraded to a red alert for strong winds.
Strong wind watches and warnings are in place across much of the North Island.
MetService meteorologist John Law said the red alert areas were set to experience “some of the strongest winds [yet]”.
Pahi Coastal Walk in Coromandel has cancelled all bookings from today through to Monday.
Owner Catherine Ward told the Waikato Herald there was a “high chance” of road closures from Thames to Coromandel.
“We are preparing for a decent storm,” she said.
The locals are no strangers to extreme weather events, including Cyclone Gabrielle.
The region was also battered by flooding in March.
Ward believes the community is resilient because of it.
“We build and prepare for weather events up here. We’re pretty hearty,” she said.
“We probably are more prepared than the general person [is].”
Her main concern was the aftermath of the cyclone.
“It’s fixing fences on the farm and roading ... the whole peninsula is impacted by the roads, [which is the hard part].”
She understands the weather events are “out of our control”.
“I think the whole peninsula is pretty pretty good at preparing for these sorts of things now.”
Hauraki District Mayor Toby Adams told the Waikato Herald the council was taking the cyclone “seriously”.
“Our teams are well drilled now, and while no one wants to see another system heading our way, we are prepared and focused on doing what we can to keep people safe and minimise disruption.”
He said locals were feeling “worn down” by another weather event so soon after the March flooding.
“It brings back pretty raw memories.”
But he said he was seeing “resilience” across the affected communities.
“People look out for each other, they get on with it, and we’ll do the same again here. We just need to be smart and prepared.”
Adams advised residents not to take the situation lightly.
“If you’re in a vulnerable area, make a plan now,” he said.
“Clear gutters, secure anything that could move in strong winds, and check in on neighbours, especially those who might need a hand.
“If conditions turn, stay off the roads unless it’s absolutely necessary and follow official advice.
“A bit of preparation now can make a big difference.”
Adams said the council was preparing civil defence centres should they be needed, and locations would be published online if they did open.
Thames-Coromandel District Council has been approached for comment.
On its website, the council’s civil defence and emergency manager Brian Carter said campers should avoid low-lying coastal areas.
Total rainfall over Sunday is expected to be 150-180mm, heaviest about the ranges.
He said large swells and coastal inundation are likely, posing serious danger to anyone on beaches, in the water or out on boats.
They are also setting up civil defence emergency centres across the district, with locations announced on their website when open.
MetService says Cyclone Vaianu will hit the upper northeast side of the country first, about 9pm on Saturday.
Wind gusts are expected to reach 140km/h, with MetService’s Law describing it as New Zealand experiencing “some of the strongest winds [yet]”.
Law was “really concerned” about the strong red wind warnings for the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island.
He said as Cyclone Vaianu moved closer, its winds would increase.
Severe gales will initially come from the northeasterly direction, before “swinging around” to the west as the system moves across the country.
Law said people should “be aware” of the change in wind direction, particularly in coastal areas “like Raglan, the winds are coming in off the sea, so [we’ll be] seeing some stronger winds through there”.
Law said MetService would keep part of a strong wind warning to cover the rest of the Waikato, with wind gusts expected to hit 120km/h in areas such as the west of the Kaimai Range.
He said the cyclone would “fortunately” move very quickly, but the wind itself could cause many issues.
Law advised people to think about the items in their home that needed to be brought inside, and take advantage of today and Saturday morning to move them.
“The wind’s going to be one of the main features of the system that comes through,” he said.
“I think we’re all in for a very windy, very active, and wet Sunday.”
Forecasters have warned winds will cause widespread destruction and disruption, including of powerlines, roofs, transport and power supply.
MetService has advised on its website that people in the heavily impacted areas should “stay indoors or seek sturdy shelter away from trees. Avoid travel. Be ready for power and communication outages”.
Coromandel Peninsula residents can expect 14 hours of rain from 2am to 4pm Sunday, with 150-180mm of rain expected to fall.
A heavy rain watch is in place for the rest of the Waikato region from 3am to 6pm Sunday.
Waikato Regional Council said the weather system was likely to cause moderate to significant coastal erosion in the eastern Coromandel Peninsula and in the Firth of Thames.
Significant erosion would very likely occur at Whangapoua, Matarangi, Kūaotunu, Hot Water Beach, Onemana, Whangamatā, Pauanui and Whitianga’s Buffalo Beach.
Sandbags are available in Whangamatā, Pauanui, Tairua, Whitianga, Coromandel and Thames. Sandbag locations are listed here.
Malisha Kumar is a multimedia journalist based in Hamilton. She joined the Waikato Herald in 2023 after working for Radio 1XX in Whakatāne.