Rough seas at Mount Maunganui. Photo / Mead Norton
Rough seas at Mount Maunganui. Photo / Mead Norton
Strong winds up to 120 km/h are expected to hit the Bay of Plenty this evening and strong, choppy, and messy waves which hav already pounded local beaches are expected to intensify overnight.
MetService has put out strong wind watches in place today and early hours of tomorrow for the Waikato in the area of the Kaimai Range and Eastern Taupō which could mean southeast winds approach severe gales at times.
Heavy rain warnings remain in place for Northland up to the Bay of Islands, Auckland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, Gisborne and the Eastern Wairarapa and Tararua ranges.
There has also been widespread flooding in Coromandel and Gisborne, including concerns some rivers could burst their banks.
The MetService has also issued a strong wind warning up to 8pm today for the Bay of Plenty east, from Murupara to Ōpōtiki with southeast winds expected to reach severe gales in places, gusting 120km/h.
Surf Lifesaving NZ eastern region lifesaving manager Chaz Gibbons-Campbell said all beaches at Coromandel were closed, and while Bay of Plenty beaches were still open there were still warnings in place against going out in the surf, including red patrol no swimming warning signs out.
Gibbons-Campbell said the waves at Mount Main Beach were sitting at around 1.5m earlier today but the set waves were about 2m in size with “choppy, messy waves,” and the swell was likely to increase in size and intensity to around the 2 range this afternoon.
“Despite quite a few surfers out in the waves, there had been no reports of any incidents so far,” he said.
“While we have a few people surfing today, we certainly don’t want to see any novices heading out there.”
Rough seas at Mount Maunganui. Photo / Mead Norton
A Mount Maunganui lifeguard patrolling from the Mount Surf Club down to Leisure Island said because of the big surges of waves, it was not possible to do roaming patrols down to Tay St or Omanu Beach, as the part of the coastline was effectively cut off.
The Bay of Plenty Times saw at least 50 people surfing in the waves near Moturiki (Leisure) Island despite clear rip current warning signs nearby.
Rough seas at Mount Maunganui. Photo / Mead Norton
One local surfer, who would not be named, said she was unconcerned about the warning signs.
“The size of the waves and swell are still doable for experienced surfers.”
“Rip current warning signs are like a magnet for surfers as we like to ride the rips out to get to the cleaner bigger waves out the back. "
Tauranga Bridge Marina manager Tony Arnold said the wind gusts were expected to worsen, with up to 90 km/h strong southeasterly winds expected this afternoon and into the evening west of Motiti Island, which meant Pāpāmoa Beach is likely to be in for some “very savage” weather.
Already a number of boaties have already come into the harbour and one boat owner who lives in Pāpāmoa who was boating off Slipper Island near Tairua had come into the Marina at 1am today, he said.
Arnold said that last night another boat owner who lived on the boat moored in Pilot Bay also came into the marina as they did not want to risk being stuck on their vessel for three days.
“People are coming into the harbour as they don’t want their boats washed up on the beach.”
“It’s very gnarly at the moment., so we are all pretty much battened down until we have more certainty about the cyclone’s movements, but we are bracing ourselves for stronger winds and there is probably a lot of rain around as well.”
MetService said on its website that Cyclone Hale does not look particularly dramatic on this true colour imagery, as it lacked the visible eye most people associate with satellite pictures of tropical cyclones.
“However, the clouds sweeping out from the low centre and spreading over the North Island are carrying bands of heavy rain and the winds are still strong.
“Strong wind gusts could damage trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures. Driving may be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles.”
Cyclone Hale is forecast to move off New Zealand to the southeast late on Wednesday
Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency urges people to delay their journey or allow extra time for long detours.
According to Powerco, 145 properties in Whangamata lost power today at 12.52 pm today, and supply was not expected to be restored until 5 pm today.
The cause of the outage is being investigated.
Bay of Plenty Regional Council harbourmaster Jon Jon Peters said there were a number of measures boat owners could take in the event of severe weather, outlined below.
Safety advice for boaties:
Upon receiving a severe weather warning the boat owner should immediately take precautionary measures to see that the boat is properly secured.
Vessels relying on solar should also be checking battery levels to ensure automatic bilge pumps are operating to get rid of excess rainwater.
Severe storm conditions can damage or sink boats that could potentially spill or vent fuel, oils and other chemicals into the marine environment.
Lash down anything on deck that can’t be taken off. Remove sails – especially roller-furling headsails, which create substantial windage.
Always check the marine forecast before you plan your trip on the water.
It is essential that boat owners check on their vessels regularly to catch any issues.
