Weather: Cyclone Pola to bring big swells to North Island

Cyclone Pola is set to bring big swells to the North Island this weekend. Photo / File

While Cyclone Pola will stay well offshore this weekend, its effects will be felt in the form of big swells for the North Island.

According to WeatherWatch Cyclone Pola had strengthened over open waters and had reached Category 4, on a scale up to five, but was about to be torn apart by a huge high moving over New Zealand which would guide it away.

Pola was much more powerful than Oma was this time a week ago, it would be as close to New Zealand as it would get over the next 24 hours and was currently 1400km north east of Auckland, 500km closer than it was yesterday morning.

Despite Pola's power this morning, there was already evidence the new high was tearing the low apart.

WeatherWatch warned Pola could bring bigger waves, rips and currents to beaches in the north and north eastern North Island over the next day or two.

Pola had seen it miss a direct hit with the numerous islands in the South Pacific, carving a path at sea away from most people.

Pola would lose its cyclone status in the next day or so at sea north east of New Zealand and would be gone by Monday.