Thousands of people are fleeing their homes and hospitals are being emptied as severe tropical cyclone Yasi bears down on the north Queensland coast.

Evacuations are underway as severe tropical cyclone Yasi continues its charge towards the north Queensland coast.

Wilma has now well and truly gone, absorbed into the roaring 40s to bring more gales and rain to the South Ocean.

More than 500 people stranded in Coromandel settlements were able to escape yesterday after the smaller slips were cleared from roads in the area.

As the floodwaters left in the devastating trail of Cyclone Wilma subsided yesterday, so the tales of heroism and helping emerged. New Zealanders - many facing clear-ups of their own - came together to help those affected worse than

Very heavy rain is currently spreading over northern New Zealand and is expected to become torrential, with the possibility of flash flooding, as Tropical Cyclone Wilma moves over the north of the country.

A severe tropical storm is closing in on NZ, with some forecasters predicting it will hit with cyclone-strength winds and rain.

The worst of the weather has drifted away from Auckland and Bay of Plenty, but it left a large, soggy footprint on the regions.

Areas of Auckland and beyond were yesterday inundated by floodwaters. Here is what happened in some of the worst affected areas.

I've had a fascination with tropical storms since I was a kid. I love so much about them. Their unpredictability. Their power. Their names. (Hurricane Igor last year has got to be one of the best).

Tropical systems Vania and Zelia will merge as they head for New Zealand from different directions.

New Zealand may be whipped by the remnants of two tropical cyclones which are expected to merge on Tuesday. Cyclone Vania has been downgraded to a tropical depression, but is moving south.

Christchurch's Boxing Day aftershocks and the recent wet weather have seen more than 1000 claims lodged with the Earthquake Commission.

Major South Island roads remain closed by flooding after a storm that swept through New Zealand yesterday.

A major storm has swept right through the country, leaving warm, summer temperatures for the rest of the week.

A popular beach was blasted by rain and blustery winds yesterday, causing some campers to cut short their holidays and leave.

Entire Queensland towns have been inundated and more could go under in a deluge that's swamped the state makes its way towards the sea.

Mass evacuations are under way across flooded Queensland with disasters declared in the inland towns of Theodore, Dalby and Chinchilla.

The EU criticised airport operators yesterday for failing to deal adequately with the heavy snow and freezing weather.