After killing one person and seriously injuring two others on Vanuatu, Tropical Cyclone Hola is now heading towards New Zealand.

The North Island is bracing for damaging winds, torrential rain and coastal inundation.

Residents are being warned that the storm is a fairly small system and its track is subject to change.

Therefore, the area which will see the worst of the damage could suddenly alter at the last minute.

Currently, some of the worst of the winds are also expected to affect the largest city, Auckland, where sustained winds of more than 90km/h hour are expected, and gusts could be as strong as 180km/h.

These winds are strong enough to bring down trees and powerlines, and the rainfall is likely to trigger flooding and landslips, making some roads impassable.

The storm comes at a bad time for the North Island which is still recovering from the latest batch of severe weather. On Thursday, more than 80 homes were flooded in Hawke’s Bay where the storm also destroyed a section of the railway track.

More bad weather on Saturday caused further damage, with strong winds lifting the roof from a West Auckland factory and dumping it on power lines triggering power cuts.

The remains of Tropical Cyclone Hola follow less than three weeks after the last ex-cyclone hit the country.

A state of emergency was declared across large parts of New Zealand after the remains of Tropical Cyclone Gita slammed into the country on 20 February. 



North of the South Island was worst hit. Numerous schools forced to close and thousands of homes left without power.

The quick succession of ex-cyclones in New Zealand is being blamed on La Nina, the natural phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean.

La Nina is the slight cooling of the surface waters of the Pacific, which can have a dramatic effect on the weather around the world.

The current La Nina event has also been blamed for the flooding in Queensland and Western Japan’s coldest winter in 32 years.

La Nina is also known to bring an increased risk of tropical cyclones in New Zealand. </s> Updated tracking and modelling on Cyclone Hola has it weakening to a category 1, but it is still expected to bring rain and gales to northern New Zealand.

WeatherWatch said Hola was bringing cloud over the northern part of the country but winds were not expected to ramp up until Monday.

"Those speeds may not sound too bad but remember these are the winds at sea - the mountains and ranges can greatly increase the gusts into severe gale and stronger and increasing the chances of wind damage," WeatherWatch said.

The precise tracking of the centre still has some uncertainty, but Hola is expected to bring wind and rain to northern areas. It is unclear if the very centre of Hola will make landfall or simply just swipe New Zealand to the east.

Flooding rains and damaging winds are possible in Northland, parts of Auckland, eastern Waikato, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne.

"However, the centre of the storm being out at sea is usually a better forecast for New Zealand than a direct hit. Either way it's very close and one to monitor closely." </s> These live updates have now ended.

Auckland is next in the firing line as Cyclone Hola makes landfall in New Zealand on Monday.

NIWA weather forecaster Chris Brandolino told The AM Show boaties need to get off the water.

"It will rain in the Auckland region most likely between the rush hours, maybe the tail end of the morning, beginning of the evening rush hour," he says.

"You wouldn't want to be out on the Hauraki Gulf, that's for sure."

What you need to know:

Gale-force gusts, slips and flooding is predicted

Heavy rain is hitting parts of Northland, with severe weather warnings still in place

The Far North is already being lashed by heavy rain and gale-force winds

Flights in and out of Kerikeri and Whangarei have been cancelled this morning

Refresh the page for the latest live updates. </s> Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Auckland escaped the worst of the storm, but still suffered some heavy rain

Heavy rain and strong winds are lashing parts of New Zealand as Cyclone Cook, called the worst storm in decades, sweeps across the North Island.

States of emergency have been declared in the Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty, with landslips, flash flooding and downed power lines closing roads.

Some coastal communities have been evacuated and thousands of homes left without power.

The storm was expected to pass over the capital, Welllington, overnight.

Cyclone Cook killed one person when it swept through the Pacific islands of New Caledonia earlier this week.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC Weather's Jay Wynne explains how Cyclone Cook formed and what the forecast holds for New Zealand.

'Gusts like freight trains'

The storm made landfall in the Bay of Plenty at about 18:30 local time (06:30 GMT) on Thursday, where it knocked out power to much of the town of Whakatane, Radio NZ reported.

Red Cross spokeswoman Lauren Hayes told the broadcaster that 114 people were staying in a civil defence shelter there.

Some had arrived with "tales of near misses with uprooted trees and other debris", she tweeted.

Image copyright Twitter/Lauren_Olive

The storm then moved on to batter Hawkes Bay on the eastern coast, where two people were hospitalised after a tree hit their car, the New Zealand Herald reported.

One resident, Malcolm Davie, told the newspaper "enormous gusts like freight trains" had been hitting his house.

"We're really getting hammered. It's a lot worse than we thought," he is quoted as saying.

About 11,000 people in the area were without power, as of 02:00 local time, according to the Unison power company.

Air New Zealand cancelled flights out of Rotorua, Tauranga, Napier and Hamilton in the North Island, and Nelson and Blenheim in the South Island.

The New Zealand Met office said the storm was expected to pass over Wellington at about 03:00 local time on Friday, before reaching Kaikoura on the east of the South Island at 06:00.

Image copyright TVNZ / Reuters Image caption Roads were also flooded in Kaeo, north of Auckland

Severe weather warnings for Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty have now been lifted.

Forecasters have been warning of 5m (16ft) waves, storm surges and 150km/h (90mph) winds.

Schools and businesses across the island closed early on Thursday, while residents in affected areas were urged to stock up on emergency supplies and avoid all but essential travel.

The storm comes after severe floods caused by the remnants of Cyclone Debbie hit some parts of the country last week.

The storm has been classified as an extra-tropical cyclone. That means it has changed into a different weather system as it approached to New Zealand, but has not necessarily weakened or been downgraded, according to New Zealand's MetService.

Image copyright NZ Defence Forces Image caption The military helped with preparations

Image copyright EPA / Nasa Image caption The cyclone swept through the South Pacific before approaching New Zealand (in outline)

The cyclone formed around Vanuatu on Sunday before moving towards New Caledonia, bringing heavy rain and winds and causing cuts to power and water supplies.

New Zealand weather officials said Cyclone Cook would be the worst to hit the country since 1968.

They have warned that it would bring a "phenomenal" amount of rain and wind, reported The New Zealand Herald newspaper, compared with Cyclone Debbie which was more spread out.

Cyclone Debbie hit Australia at the end of March, before its remnants moved towards New Zealand.

It soaked New Zealand cities like Wellington and Auckland. Authorities are now worried about how Cyclone Cook will impact land that is already saturated from heavy rains.

Image copyright @bowlshut Image caption Despite disruption, some people's positive attitude was not totally dampened by the storm

Sign-up to get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning </s> New Zealand is being battered by cyclone Gita after the tropical storm devastated the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week.

Seven districts - including Christchurch, Grey District and Buller District have declared a state of emergency as the cyclone began to make landfall overnight.

Tens of thousands were without power on Tuesday night as locals were warned to prepare for floods, huge waves and gusts of winds reaching close to 200km/h.

New Zealand defence force troops were deployed as reports came through that homeowners were trapped on their roofs by flood waters.

More than 60 tourists , mostly from China, are reportedly trapped inside two tour buses in Whataroa, on the South Island, as the eye of the storm passes through.

The council has urged people to stay inside and not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary.

Even before the storm hit in full force, heavy rains in the centre of New Zealand brought floods in Christchurch, prompting a warning from Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

'The full impact of the storm will be felt overnight and tomorrow morning,' she said, urging residents of low-lying areas to evacuate.

'We are expecting homes to be flooded.'

Air New Zealand said all flights to the capital would be grounded from 2.45 pm as weather authorities issued warnings of severe weather and heavy rain.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said troops had fanned out to areas likely to be the hardest hit and the national Civil Defence office in Wellington was on standby to help.

'My message still to people is please look out for your local warnings and expect disruption to travel and please just be careful,' she told reporters at parliament.

Cyclone Gita hit the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week, packing winds up to 275 km/h.

Fiji escaped major damage but Tonga suffered widespread destruction and flooding. Earlier, the storm had caused extensive damage in Samoa and American Samoa.

The cyclone had since been downgraded to a storm, but forecasters said it was still likely to wreak havoc on Tuesday evening as it traversed the centre of New Zealand.

Parts of the country are still reeling from a huge storm that prompted authorities to declare states of emergency at the beginning of February.

More than 40 schools and preschools shut in the upper South Island, while mayors urged people to stay home. </s> Cyclone Gita is pounding New Zealand with torrential rain, damaging winds and large waves.

Tens of thousands of people have lost power, a number of major roads are impassable and flights to and from Wellington International Airport have been suspended until the cyclone has cleared.

There are also reports of people being trapped on their roofs by flood waters and one person being swept away, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Seven provinces - Christchurch, Buller District, Grey District, Selwyn, Westland, Tasman and Taranaki - have declared states of emergency.

Waves as high as 6.7 metres have been pounding the coast and a gust of 130 kilometres per hour (kmph) was reported in Hawera.

A staggering 256 millimetres of rain fell in the Kaikoura Ranges in just 18 hours, and of that, 53.6mm of that fell in one hour, making it the wettest hour ever recorded in New Zealand.

The cyclone developed two weeks ago in the southern Pacific Ocean near the waters of Fiji.

It then rapidly strengthened as it grazed Niue and headed towards the islands of Tonga, which was badly hit. The entirety of the main island of Tongatapu lost power and the storm destroyed numerous homes, churches and even the nation's historic Parliament House.

Gita then skirted the south of New Caledonia, but caused no major damage, before curving to the south and running towards the land of the long white cloud.

The storm is expected to take about 6 hours to cross the South Island, with the centre of Gita clearing the east coast around 15GMT (3am local time).

Even as the storm clears, more rain is forecast on Wednesday, exacerbating the flooding problems and hampering the clear up efforts. </s> WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand’s national carrier on Tuesday cancelled all flights in and out of the capital, Wellington, and the southern city of Christchurch declared a state of emergency as the remnants of tropical cyclone Gita pummelled the country.

Even before the storm hit in full force, heavy rains in the centre of New Zealand brought floods in Christchurch, prompting a warning from Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

“The full impact of the storm will be felt overnight and tomorrow morning,” she said, urging residents of low-lying areas to evacuate. “We are expecting homes to be flooded.”

Air New Zealand said all flights to the capital would be grounded from 2.45 p.m. (0145 GMT) as weather authorities issued warnings of severe weather and heavy rain and gusts of up to 150 kph (93 mph).

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said troops had fanned out to areas likely to be the hardest hit and the national Civil Defence office in Wellington was on standby to help.

“My message still to people is please look out for your local warnings and expect disruption to travel and please just be careful,” she told reporters at parliament.

Cyclone Gita hit the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week, packing winds up to 275 kph (171 mph). Fiji escaped major damage but Tonga suffered widespread destruction and flooding. Earlier, the storm had caused extensive damage in Samoa and American Samoa.

The cyclone had since been downgraded to a storm, but forecasters said it was still likely to wreak havoc on Tuesday evening as it traversed the centre of New Zealand.

Parts of the country are still reeling from a huge storm that prompted authorities to declare states of emergency at the beginning of February.

More than 40 schools and preschools shut in the upper South Island, while mayors urged people to stay home.

Transport authorities shut a stretch of highway along the east coast of the South Island and the Department of Conservation was closing seaside hiking tracks and campsites along the West Coast and ushering tourists away from low-lying areas, media said. </s> New Zealanders are bracing themselves for what is anticipated to be one of the country's worst storms in years.

The South Pacific island's met service has warned people to "batten down the hatches" with Cyclone Cook set to hit on Thursday.

Winds of up to 150 km/h (93mph), rising sea levels of up to five metres, flooding, landslides and damage to power lines, houses and trees are all expected.

People on the North Island's Coromandel Peninsula, particularly those in low-lying areas, have been urged to evacuate to higher ground by the country's civil defence.

Air New Zealand has suspended flights from Tauranga Airport, while the military has placed 500 troops on standby.

Heavy rains had already begun falling across the country on Wednesday. </s> Residents in New Zealand have begun a major clean-up operation after being hit by a powerful cyclone which caused rivers to burst their banks, bringing widespread flooding, landslides, road closures and power outages. According to the New Zealand Herald, Cyclone Cook made landfall at around 6:30pm local time on Thursday on the North Island, before tracking along the east coast and moving down to the South Island.Two people were hospitalized after the car in which they were travelling was hit by a falling tree. The cyclone also left numerous homes flooded and around 10,000 households without electricity.The storm has continues to bring heavy rains to the South Island, though the worst has passed and is expected to die out over the next few hours.
Cyclone Hola makes landfall in New Zealand.