As a series of fronts crossed New Zealand last night many Hawke's Bay residents braced themselves for a long night of wild and windy weather.
Last night MetService issued a weather watch and weather warning for Hawke's Bay as it was expected to bear the brunt of some of the strongest winds in the country overnight.
Strong northwest winds were forecast to precede the fronts while a very strong, cold southwest flow would follow the second front from yesterday through to this afternoon.
MetService meteorologist Josh Griffin said it was expected that west to northwest gales would reach up to 120km/h from late yesterday afternoon through to the early hours of today.
The strongest winds were expected about Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay south of Hastings and heavy rain was expected to fall in the Tararua Ranges.