Source: Radio New Zealand
Imagery of Cyclone Vaianu from 9 April. NOAA
Sandbags are being made available across Coromandel as officials brace for what they say could be a significant wave event from Cyclone Vaianu.
Strong wind watches for Saturday to Monday and heavy rain watches for Saturday and Sunday are in force for the North Island.
MetService said it is still highly likely it will issue severe weather warnings as forecasts become more clear.
Earth Sciences NZ said more than 200mm of rain could fall in 18-24 hours in some places.
Thames Coromandel District Council started dispensing sandbags and sand from several locations across the peninsula on Thursday.
They will be available until Saturday and locations can be found on the council’s website.
It said Vaianu will be the year’s third big storm, and it was still recovering from the one in January.
“We are expecting a significant wave event for eastern Coromandel beaches during Saturday and Sunday with a peak on Sunday morning,” Thames Coromandel Civil Defence and Emergency manager Brian Carter said.
“It is important people prepare as best they can and stay away from beaches during the storm,” he added.
“We may see some coastal inundation from waves and potential slips throughout the district.”
The council said much of Coromandel was still prone to slips and it was working with the Waikato Regional Council on modelling impacts from waves.
Campground owners have been asked to make sure campers are away from areas that are prone to flooding.
Standard pre-storm preparations are also being made to crucial infrastructure to make sure there is back-up power.
Thames Coromandel mayor Peter Revell told RNZ the worst of the weather was expected from midnight Saturday to Sunday evening.
“So we wanted people to be prepared well ahead of time for that,” he said.
“Probably the difference this time is we’re also expecting a bit of wave motion, some quite heavy swells coming in.”
Revell said meteorologists have told the council the storm has very low pressure at its centre, and with strong winds there could be swells of 3 metres or more.
“Probably we’ll begin to see that on Friday evening,” he said.
He urged people to stay clear of eastern Coromandel beaches from Friday night if that eventuates.
Surf Life Saving training suspended
North of Auckland, the Ōrewa Surf Life Saving Club was putting suspensions in place from Friday evening.
“Based on advice from Surf Life Saving New Zealand, all training activities and the use of club equipment will be suspended from 8pm Friday until 6am Monday,” it posted on Facebook.
“This suspension applies to all aspects of Ōrewa SLSC. To be clear the club does not endorse the use of any SLS equipment during the above time period or members entering the water during the impending conditions.”
The club said its search and rescue squad would remain on call throughout the storm.
“We strongly advise all members to stay clear of the water during this period, including in a personal capacity. The forecasted conditions across the North Island pose significant risk, even for highly experienced lifeguards,” it added.
In Bay of Plenty, Tauranga City Council said it acknowledged it had “been a challenging start” to 2026.
“It’s understandable that people may be feeling unsettled,” it said.
The council said a dedicated incident management team was constantly assessing conditions and was ready to activate if needed.
Vector issues advice in Auckland
Lines company Vector said extra crews and support teams are standing by and closely monitoring conditions.
It said ahead of the storm, people could charge mobile phones, torches and power banks and check on any medical backup plans.
“Most importantly, if you see any fallen or low-hanging power lines at any time, stay well away. Treat them all as live and dangerous and call 111 immediately,” it said.
Massey University meanwhile said if Red warnings were issued for any of its locations of Auckland, Palmerston North of Wellington, then the affected campus would close.
“This includes the Recreation Centres and libraries,” it said.
‘Potential to be significant and damaging’
Emergency Management and Recovery Minister Mark Mitchell said Cyclone Vaianu was potentially a significant and damaging storm.
“I know that many communities are still recovering from earlier flooding and weather warnings are currently in place for parts of the country due to a separate weather system,” he wrote on Facebook.
“Rain falling on ground that is already saturated means fallen trees, landslides, flooding and dangerous river conditions are more likely.
“The government, MetService, NEMA and Civil Defence Emergency Management Groups are all keeping a very close eye on Cyclone Vaianu. The government stands ready to assist as required,” he said.
“Put safety first. Don’t take any chances,” the minister said.
Police urged people to “as always” take care on roads.
“High winds could damage trees, powerlines and insecure roofs and make driving hazardous for all drivers and especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcyclists.”
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