Cyclone Gabrielle 2023: hundreds evacuated as huge cyclone hits New Zealand - tracking explained

Hundreds of New Zealanders are being evacuated from their homes, while entire communities have been cut off and thousands left without power, as a cyclone rages just off the coast.

Cyclone Gabrielle is currently travelling along the east coast of New Zealand’s North Island, and national forecaster MetService has issued red weather warnings - its most serious category - for the Northland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Gisborne, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki districts.

Residents have been told to expect severe rain, gale-force winds, large waves and storm surges until at least Tuesday afternoon, triggering a number of local authorities to declare states of emergency.

In Auckland - New Zealand’s largest city - Auckland Emergency Management deputy controller Rachel Kelleher said people should expect the impacts of Cyclone Gabrielle to get worse before they get better.

“We’re certainly not out of the woods yet,” she said.  “I can’t stress this enough. Please have a plan to leave if you see water levels rising around you. Do not wait to be told to leave if you think you’re in danger.”

More than 22,000 homes in the city have been left without power as the storm rages into the night. Across the wider Bay of Plenty area at least 500 households are being evacuated, while Gisborne locals are urged to conserve water after the weather caused a break in the main drinking water supply.

Fire and Emergency NZ says crews have attended reports of flood water entering homes, a landslide into a house, a collapsing water tower, people trapped in a car, and help with surface flooding and evacuations.

Waka Kotahi - New Zealand’s national transport agency - has closed highways across the East Waikato and Coromandel districts.

A spokesperson said the full force of Cyclone Gabrielle was making itself known, causing extremely dangerous driving conditions due to slips, flooding, storm surges and debris on the roads. The situation was expected to deteriorate further overnight.

Some communities on the east coast of the peninsula were already cut off, and many more would be in the situation if the Karangahake Gorge - a major transport route - had to close later tonight, they said.

How to track Cyclone Gabrielle?

Cyclone Gabrielle formed in the Pacific Islands, near Vanuatu, to New Zealand’s north. It travelled down past Australia and over Norfolk Island, before making its way towards New Zealand. People can track the storm on Zoom Earth.

Auckland is still in recovery mode after being hammered by torrential rain just two weeks ago, when flooding caused mass evacuations, inundated homes, and saw nearly 2,000 people stranded on the upper floor of a flooded airport overnight. Four people were killed in the record-breaking deluge.

An Elton John concert scheduled for 27 January was cancelled minutes before it was due to begin, and an estimated 11,000 people already in Auckland’s Mount Smart Stadium had to brave rising floodwaters to make their way home.