Cyclone Gabrielle centre nears, all North Island under warning Gianina Schwanecke and Tom Hunt12:30, Feb 13 2023 Prime Minister urges people to be ready for Cyclone Gabrielle Play Video STUFF Prime Minister Chris Hipkins advised people to be prepared for Cyclone Gabrielle, during a visit to the Auckland Transport Operations Centre on Sunday. The entire North Island and upper South Island are now under weather warnings as Cyclone Gabrielle intensifies and nears land, with a state of emergency declared in Tairāwhiti on Monday morning. MetService now has Auckland and north of Auckland under its most-severe red warning for rain and wind, with Taranaki also under a red wind warning. The rest of the North Island and upper South Island are under an orange warning, while parts of Waikato, East Cape, and the eastern side of the North Island are under orange warnings for rain. The East Cape has a red rain warning. “This will be a widespread and significant weather event,” Metservice warned late on Monday morning. “Significant heavy rain and damaging winds are forecast for many parts of northern and central New Zealand. In addition, large waves, storm surges and coastal inundation are expected about exposed eastern coasts of the North Island.” READ MORE: * Chris Hipkins says lessons from January flood have informed Cyclone response * Red weather warnings to 'blanket' most of the North Island over the coming days * 'This one has us worried': New Zealand prepares for Cyclone Gabrielle * Cyclone Gabrielle to hit Northland, bad weather already at Cape Reinga * Cyclone Gabrielle slides back closer to Auckland, with gusts of 140kph possible A state of emergency was on Monday declared for Tairāwhiti – Gisborne and East Cape. It is an area that has had a series of floods and damage in recent times. ADVERTISEMENT Advertise with Stuff Northland Civil Defence said on Monday morning that boats had been blown ashore, there had been flooding from storm surges, and wind gusts up to 140kph had been recorded. please log in to view this image LAWRENCE SMITH/STUFF Sandbagging in Arkles Bay, north Auckland. The Thames and Coromandel area, which has been under emergency conditions for nearly all of 2023, is again in for heavy weather, as is Gisborne – again coming on the back of a devastating start to the year. NIWA principal scientist Chris Brandolino said rain – normally measured in millimetres – could reach up to half a metre in the ranges of Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. Further south, the Tararua ranges in Wairarapa could get up to 200mm of rain. Weatherwatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan said the worst was still to come from Cyclone Gabrielle, with later Monday through to early Tuesday the most intense period for the upper North Island. please log in to view this image NORTHPOWER/SUPPLIED As of Feb 13 2023, all lines in yellow, white and green are those without power due to Cyclone Gabrielle. While part of the cyclone was tracking down New Zealand, its centre was still off land. It was expected to deepen and intensify as it moved over Auckland and Coromandel. "It is still going to deepen," he said. "The storm is not finished." While Auckland was grabbing the headlines, places such as Coromandel, Gisborne, and Hawke's Bay were in for similar problems from intense rain and wind. please log in to view this image TOP ENERGY A tree brought down a powerline in the Far North. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins called for people to take the severe weather warnings seriously, follow local guidance, and said that lessons had been learnt from January’s Auckland floods. The Government was ready for anything that Cyclone Gabrielle could bring, he said. ADVERTISEMENT Advertise with Stuff please log in to view this image TOP ENERGY/SUPPLIED More than 15,000 households were without power as Cyclone Gabrielle tracks towards Aotearoa. In Northland, about 18,500 properties were without power by Monday morning and Northpower has warned residents that it may not be restored for several days, with severe winds making it impossible for contractors to safely repair the lines. please log in to view this image SUPPLIED/SUPPLIED Defence Force personnel were in Auckland on Sunday afternoon, in preparation for Cyclone Gabrielle's arrival. The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has also published advice for affected residents, telling them to eat food in the fridge first if the power goes out and to keep a supply of cash in case eftpos and ATM machines go down. The Auckland Bridge was closed due to severe wind gusts on Sunday. It was open again on Monday but severe gusts meant it was down to reduced speeds with lane reductions in place, Waka Kotahi NZTA warned. Nearly all flights in and out of Auckland are delayed or cancelled, Auckland Airport’s website shows. KiwiRail also cancelled all commuter rail services around Auckland from 8pm on Sunday until 3pm on Monday at the latest to ensure the safety of staff and passengers. Don’t miss important Auckland news Get mobile alerts Due to the late notice, rail replacement buses were unable to be organised, with commuters having to rely on regular scheduled buses. Rail lines were also closed north of Marton until 3pm on Monday, grinding all freight and passenger rail to a halt, including the Northern Explorer and the Te Huia service between Hamilton and Auckland. Ferries around the Hauraki Gulf were cancelled too, including the Waiheke Island, Half Moon Bay, and Gulf Harbour services. Services such as Devonport, Birkenhead, and Bayswater were still running but under close observation. please log in to view this image STUFF Already saturated ground combined with strong winds saw a tree fall onto a house in Birkenhead, Auckland, on Sunday. Red heavy rain warnings have also been issued for Northland, Auckland, Tairāwhiti Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay, and Coromandel through until Tuesday. . The worst affected areas can expect 350-450mm of rain. Orange rain warnings are also in place for Bay of Plenty, the rest of the east coast of the North Island, parts of the Marlborough including Kaikōura. please log in to view this image SUPPLIED NZDF personnel were in Auckland on Sunday afternoon, preparing for Cyclone Gabrielle's arrival. Waves of close to 11 metres were recorded near the Bay of Islands on Sunday with swells of up to 7 metres possible through to Tuesday morning. ADVERTISEMENT Advertise with Stuff School boards and principals have been left to make the decision about whether to close on Monday. Auckland Council has closed all non-essential services on Monday and Tuesday, including libraries, community centres, early childhood education centres, and active recreation centres. Many staff in those facilities have been redirected to assist Civil Defence centres or evacuation centres. Essential services such as cemeteries and contact centres remain open. please log in to view this image RICKY WILSON/STUFF Aucklanders prepare for Cyclone Gabrielle, filling sandbags on Sunday before the worst of the storm hits. Auckland Emergency Management has released a list of 24 shelters and civil defence centres where people can go in an emergency. Defence forces staff and water rescue craft have been brought into to parts of Thames-Coromandel which is expecting the storm will impact “on a similar level to Bola”. 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