The AM Show reporter Sam Farrell felt the full force of Cyclone Fehi on Thursday, as he was lashed by winds and rain in front of the nation.
Sent by The AM Show host Duncan Garner into the weather chaos, he braved the storm surges to save commuters from the flooding.
- Auckland's Tamaki Drive flooded by king tide
- Man wiped off bike as he tries to tackle Auckland's flooded Tamaki Drive
Farrell was crossing live to The AM Show on Thursday from Auckland's Tamaki Drive as the king tide hit.
Behind him, the gusts wrenched the pohutukawa branches, while violent waves smashed over the sea wall and flooded the road.
"The water is still coming off that seawall… the road is completely swamped at the moment," he told the nation.
"Here we are standing in the middle of water, shoes absolutely drenched and a lot of commuters still coming through.
"The water is very, very strong coming across this road here."
One of the commuters was braving the water on an electric skateboard to make an important meeting.
Another pedestrian was crossing the road, when she was hit by large waves. As the sea splashed up to her knees, she struggled to keep her balance.
Then, Farrell plunged into the water to help.
"She was battling a bit with the wind and so were we, to tell the truth, so it seemed like the right thing to do," Farrell told Newshub.
He managed to help her across to safety, although the sea took its toll on his suit and shoes.
"There is not an inch of my body that wasn't water-logged or windswept," he says.
The only thing to escape unscathed was his hair, which remained as immaculate as usual.
"Bit of product and then some hairspray on top. It's bulletproof, I tell you," Farrell laughs.
"I think I single-handedly keep hairspray companies afloat."
Newshub.
