Winds of up to 130km/h and gusts reaching 170km/h are set to pummel New Caledonia's eastern Loyalty Islands as Cyclone Hola sweeps through today on its way to New Zealand.
The cyclone is expected to reach the most populous island in the group, Lifou, about 10am local time, according to New Caledonian news reports.
However, the storm is expected to be downgraded to an ex-cyclone before it reaches Northland, Weather Watch said in a statement.
The north of the country - Northland, parts of Auckland, eastern Waikato, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne - appear to be most at risk of wild weather as Hola nears.