Coromandel residents and Queen's Birthday holidaymakers alike are advised to "hunker down" and "weather the storm" as the peninsula is battered by wild rain and gale-force winds on Sunday.
The area is bracing for potential flooding, slips, power outages and road closures over the next 24 hours. The Thames District Council's emergency operations centre has been activated as civil defence and emergency services prepare for potential chaos.
Thames District Council civil defence controller Garry Towler told Newshub the wet and windy conditions are "a bit concerning", signalling the classic hallmarks of wild, potentially dangerous weather.
"It's not untypical for the Coromandel to experience a major weather event over the long weekend," he said with a laugh.
Although the buffeting gales and hammering rainfall may put a damper on the long weekend for holidaymakers, Towler says it's crucial that people remain indoors, stay off the roads as much as possible and make sure everything is safe in their vicinity.
"Our message to people in the Coromandel is to make sure everything is tied down, secure outdoor furniture, stay safe and prepare... the worst of it is expected to hit overnight," Towler told Newshub.
As forecasted by the likes of WeatherWatch and MetService, power outages are a possibility as the wind continues to ramp up - so have torches and gas appliances at the ready, Towler advises.
"Hunker down and weather this one out. Try to avoid any travelling and prepare for the night," he said.
MetService has issued a heavy rain warning for Coromandel Peninsula from 1pm on Sunday until 6pm on Monday, with up to 150mm of rainfall expected to accumulate.
In a statement on Sunday, WeatherWatch head forecaster Philip Duncan said eastern Waikato is at the highest risk overnight and on Monday morning, with gusts likely to reach more than 120km/h on the western side of the Kaimai Range and Coromandel.
The stormy conditions are expected to hit the Coromandel the hardest, although the upper North Island will not be excluded from the heavy rain and gale-force winds on Sunday.
A heavy rain watch has also been issued for Auckland, Gisborne and parts of Bay of Plenty.
