Tauranga City Council staff are pleading for people to stay away from Mount Maunganui beach and the city's transfer stations as wild weather begins pummelling the Bay of Plenty.
Large ocean swells has forced the closure Mauao and Moturiki (Leisure) Island today until further notice and the council are concerned people could be swept into the sea. The weather has also prompted the postponement of tomorrow's kerbside rubbish collections.
Parks and recreation manager Mark Smith said: "When the swells get this high there's a real possibility of people being swept away".
"There's also a risk of further slips and instability on one slope on Mauao over the next couple of days, depending on rainfall. While we haven't closed the summit tracks, we're recommending that people avoid Mauao, Moturiki, and the beaches around Tauranga until ex-cyclone Cook has passed. It's best to stay inside and avoid travelling wherever possible."
A section of Grenada Street in Papamoa, between Sandhurst Drive and Hibiscus was also closed - as a precaution against flooding. The section of road was likely to remain closed on Thursday and will be reviewed on Friday.
