Huge swells are hitting the east coast of the North Island, flooding roads in the Coromandel and closing beaches and walking tracks in the Bay of Plenty.
The waves at Sandy Bay on the Tutukaka Coast in eastern Northland today. Photo: http://surf2surf.com
The huge swells have been recorded on the east coast of the North Island.
"The wave buoy at Marsden Point has seen average wave heights of 5-7m, largest up to 10m earlier," MetService tweeted.
However, the waves eased by a couple of metres an hour ago.
Meanwhile, in the Bay of Plenty, Moturiki, also known as Leisure Island, and the Mauao base track were cordoned off to the public this afternoon about 2.30pm, as full tide was at 4.14pm and the sea swells were increasingly putting the public in the near vicinity at risk.
Police were called to Moturiki to help enforce the closure as many of the public continued to cross over the sand bar to the rock outcrops and Moturiki itself, SunLive reported.
There were also reports of council staff being verbally abused by the public at the entrance to the Mauao base track, it reported.
The first swell arrived at Mount Maunganui Beach around noon today.
Tauranga City Council's natural environment adviser for Mauao, Josh Clark, said Leisure Island and the Mauao base track will both remain closed tonight.
They would reassess it tomorrow morning at 7am, he said.
The next high tide is due at 4.35am Monday morning.
In the Coromandel, storm surges flooded roads, including in Whitianga and Tairua.
Buffalo Beach Rd is still closed and Waka Kotahi NZTA said the road was expected to open when the high tide recedes.
"Delay your travel or consider alternative route," an NZTA spokesperson said.
The road was closed at 2.10pm today. A detour route is in place on SH25A and SH25 via Coromandel.
MetService said a heavy rain watch is in place for Gisborne overnight.
The district council is warning that heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly.
"Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous," CDEM operator Bronwyn O'Reilly said.
MetService also said strong wind watches are in place for the Bay of Plenty, Taupō, Hawke's Bay and Taihape for tomorrow and Tuesday.
- RNZ / SunLive