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Cyclone Gabrielle has gone but her legacy is the most catastrophic weather event in living memory.
The storm left parts of the upper North Island resembling parts of a jigsaw.
Wairoa is essentially an island, disconnected from the outside world with food and water in short supply.
Gisborne, Hawke's Bay, much of the Coromandel and parts of Northland and some of Auckland's west coast beaches are cut off.
Tens of thousands of residents are without power or cellphone coverage.
A short time ago, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins held a media conference and paid tribute to the Auckland volunteer firefighter and others who have lost their lives.
RNZ reporter Lauren Crimp has the details from the Civil Defence Centre in Hastings.