Cyclone Vaianu Strikes NZ North Island, Triggers Evacuations

Cyclone Vaianu swept across New Zealand's North Island on Sunday, unleashing destructive winds exceeding 130 kilometers per hour, heavy rainfall and large coastal swells that forced hundreds of residents to evacuate and left thousands without power.

The storm made landfall in the afternoon, prompting states of emergency in several regions, including parts of the Bay of Plenty and Northland. Authorities issued rare red wind warnings, reserved for extreme conditions, and ordered evacuations in areas like Whakatane, a coastal town of about 37,000 people located 430 kilometers north of Wellington. MetService, the national weather forecaster, recorded gusts over 130 kph in some spots and more than 100 millimeters of rain in 24 hours in Whangarei. The cyclone's track veered toward the eastern fringes of the island, sparing Auckland and other densely populated areas from the worst effects.

Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell noted that the storm's path reduced its overall intensity compared to initial forecasts. "It's moved more to the fringes and more to the east, which means that we haven't quite seen the intensity that we had prepared for," Mitchell said in an interview. He...