WELLINGTON: A category 3 tropical cyclone pummelled New Zealand’s North Island on Sunday, triggering flooding and damaging infrastructure but authorities were relieved it bypassed Auckland, the country’s most populous city.
Cyclone Vaianu made landfall in the Bay of Plenty on the east coast, where hundreds of residents had already evacuated from their
homes or were warned to stay clear of heavy sea conditions.
Townships in the Bay of Plenty and neighbouring Coromandel regions also bore the brunt of winds exceeding 130 kilometres per hour (81 mph), strong enough to lift roofs from houses and cut power to about 5,000 customers.
Emergency services received hundreds of callouts but there were no initial reports of injuries.
New Zealand’s weather forecaster MetService had described Vaianu as a “multi-hazard, potentially life-threatening event”, as it moved south across the Pacific Ocean.