Boaties in Tairua spent the morning preparing for Cyclone Cook - securing their vessels in preparation for the onslaught.
Brett Sample, a deckie at Next Level Adventures, said "its going to hit us pretty soon so just been tying up the boat making sure the bilges are working and also checking other people's boats, the thing about a small town is you try to look after each other and keep safe."
Cyclone Cook is forecast to make landfall around 6pm. With winds of more than 165 kilometres and towering waves. It could be the worst storm we've seen in generations.
Up on Mt Paku, homeowner Karen Wood was tying loose items down. Her visitor from Melbourne Cathy Humphrey was looking forward to watching the weather move in.
"Actually to be here with this fantastic view, if your going to be here, you couldn't do much better," she said.
Everyone living in low-lying flood-prone areas is being urged to evacuate. The entire Coromandel region is under a state of emergency.
