Searches for a boatie who has potentially gone missing near Auckland's Aotea Great Barrier Island are being hampered by Cyclone Gabrielle.
A Police spokesperson said "Police responded to reports of a boat in distress around 2.15am" on Monday morning.
Over the course of the morning, the Police Maritime Unit, alongside the Eagle helicopter, had attempted to approach the vessel.
Unfortunately, due to "challenging" conditions, "at this stage no one has been located."
"Police will make further attempts to approach the vessel when conditions allow," said the Police spokesperson.
As the weather continues to worsen, it remains unclear when the search will be able to resume.
The worst of the weather for the Auckland region is expected early on Tuesday morning.
"All things are pointing to this is going to be a humdinger… We haven't had an opportunity to dry out very well over the last couple of weeks, like other parts of New Zealand," said Great Barrier Island Local Board Chair Izzy Fordham.
Strong winds and heavy rain have already set in on the island, resulting in severe flooding, collapsed trees, road closures, and debris.
On Monday morning, Cyclone Gabrielle was sitting approximately 200km north of Great Barrier Island.
The storm system is forecast to come closer to Great Barrier later on Monday, about 100km from Auckland, before it makes its way southeast towards the Coromandel, the Bay of Plenty, and then on to Gisborne.
