Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Auckland escaped the worst of the storm, but still suffered some heavy rain

Heavy rain and strong winds are lashing parts of New Zealand as Cyclone Cook, called the worst storm in decades, sweeps across the North Island.

States of emergency have been declared in the Coromandel Peninsula and Bay of Plenty, with landslips, flash flooding and downed power lines closing roads.

Some coastal communities have been evacuated and thousands of homes left without power.

The storm was expected to pass over the capital, Welllington, overnight.

Cyclone Cook killed one person when it swept through the Pacific islands of New Caledonia earlier this week.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption BBC Weather's Jay Wynne explains how Cyclone Cook formed and what the forecast holds for New Zealand.

'Gusts like freight trains'

The storm made landfall in the Bay of Plenty at about 18:30 local time (06:30 GMT) on Thursday, where it knocked out power to much of the town of Whakatane, Radio NZ reported.

Red Cross spokeswoman Lauren Hayes told the broadcaster that 114 people were staying in a civil defence shelter there.

Some had arrived with "tales of near misses with uprooted trees and other debris", she tweeted.

Image copyright Twitter/Lauren_Olive

The storm then moved on to batter Hawkes Bay on the eastern coast, where two people were hospitalised after a tree hit their car, the New Zealand Herald reported.

One resident, Malcolm Davie, told the newspaper "enormous gusts like freight trains" had been hitting his house.

"We're really getting hammered. It's a lot worse than we thought," he is quoted as saying.

About 11,000 people in the area were without power, as of 02:00 local time, according to the Unison power company.

Air New Zealand cancelled flights out of Rotorua, Tauranga, Napier and Hamilton in the North Island, and Nelson and Blenheim in the South Island.

The New Zealand Met office said the storm was expected to pass over Wellington at about 03:00 local time on Friday, before reaching Kaikoura on the east of the South Island at 06:00.

Image copyright TVNZ / Reuters Image caption Roads were also flooded in Kaeo, north of Auckland

Severe weather warnings for Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty have now been lifted.

Forecasters have been warning of 5m (16ft) waves, storm surges and 150km/h (90mph) winds.

Schools and businesses across the island closed early on Thursday, while residents in affected areas were urged to stock up on emergency supplies and avoid all but essential travel.

The storm comes after severe floods caused by the remnants of Cyclone Debbie hit some parts of the country last week.

The storm has been classified as an extra-tropical cyclone. That means it has changed into a different weather system as it approached to New Zealand, but has not necessarily weakened or been downgraded, according to New Zealand's MetService.

Image copyright NZ Defence Forces Image caption The military helped with preparations

Image copyright EPA / Nasa Image caption The cyclone swept through the South Pacific before approaching New Zealand (in outline)

The cyclone formed around Vanuatu on Sunday before moving towards New Caledonia, bringing heavy rain and winds and causing cuts to power and water supplies.

New Zealand weather officials said Cyclone Cook would be the worst to hit the country since 1968.

They have warned that it would bring a "phenomenal" amount of rain and wind, reported The New Zealand Herald newspaper, compared with Cyclone Debbie which was more spread out.

Cyclone Debbie hit Australia at the end of March, before its remnants moved towards New Zealand.

It soaked New Zealand cities like Wellington and Auckland. Authorities are now worried about how Cyclone Cook will impact land that is already saturated from heavy rains.

Image copyright @bowlshut Image caption Despite disruption, some people's positive attitude was not totally dampened by the storm

Sign-up to get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning</s>SYDNEY: New Zealand's civil defence authorities lifted severe weather warnings on Friday after tropical Cyclone Cook moved off the country's South Island, but also cautioned that the effects of the storm would still be felt in some areas.

Cyclone Cook, the second big storm to hit New Zealand in a week, had earlier killed one person in New Caledonia before lashing parts of New Zealand, with the north and east the hardest hit.

"All heavy rain warnings and severe gale warnings associated with the Cyclone have now been lifted," New Zealand's official Metservice said in a statement.

"However, there are a few South Island areas that may experience conditions close to warning criteria today," it said.

Authorities evacuated seaside areas and closed more than 100 schools on Thursday as the meteorological service warned of floods, landslides and gale-force winds reaching speeds of 150 km per hour (95 mph).

At the Lost Spring Spa at Whitianga on the Coromandel Peninsula, about two hours' drive from New Zealand's largest city, Auckland, receptionist Terri Lipanovic said residents had prepared for the worst.

"It was quite scary. We were all ready to evacuate but it seemed that a westerly wind came up and blew it off course," Lipanovic said.

Among the hardest-hit areas were Northland, the Bay of Plenty, and Hawkes Bay, where thousands were left without power at the height of the storm.

Cyclone Cook's heavy rains followed on from flooding caused by ex-tropical Cyclone Debbie, which hit New Zealand last week after causing widespread damage on Australia's northeast coast.</s>New Zealanders have evacuated towns along the north coast, where severe weather warnings in place. The storm is due to fall at 7pm (7amGMT) over Bay of Plenty. The cyclone cook has been classified as an extra-tropical cyclone, which is expected to bring torrential rain and severe winds of up to 93mph.

Weather officials said Cyclone Cook would be the worst storm to hit the country since 1968. Residents were warned not to underestimate the impending storm. MetService severe weather forecaster Lisa Murray said: "I have never seen an event like this in the 12 years I have been a forecaster in New Zealand. This is not an event to be taken lightly." Tony Bonne, the mayor of Whakatane district, one of the areas expected to bear the brunt of the storm, said on local radio: "We're worried." Seaside areas of the Coromandel Peninsula, north of Auckland were being evacuated and people told to take shelter in Civil Defence centres, although disaster management agency said it did not yet know how many people would have to leave their homes.

More than 100 schools were shut and universities in Auckland were closing early on Thursday. Civil Defence pleaded with residents to take the storm “seriously”, prepare emergency supplies for three days and “not take any chances”.

Meanwhile, disaster authorities asked people to avoid hardest-hit towns and reconsider their travels over the four-day Easter weekend. National airline Air New Zealand warned of "significant disruption" from the weather with many flights likely to be delayed or cancelled and the New Zealand Transport Agency said it was considering closing the Auckland Harbour Bridge, a major thoroughfare in the country's largest city.</s>New Zealanders are bracing themselves for what is anticipated to be one of the country's worst storms in years.

The South Pacific island's met service has warned people to "batten down the hatches" with Cyclone Cook set to hit on Thursday.

Winds of up to 150 km/h (93mph), rising sea levels of up to five metres, flooding, landslides and damage to power lines, houses and trees are all expected.

People on the North Island's Coromandel Peninsula, particularly those in low-lying areas, have been urged to evacuate to higher ground by the country's civil defence.

Air New Zealand has suspended flights from Tauranga Airport, while the military has placed 500 troops on standby.

Heavy rains had already begun falling across the country on Wednesday.

Weather experts predict downpours will continue throughout the day, while precipitation could exceed 100 millimeters (4 inches) in some places.

"Cyclone Cook's arrival in New Zealand is a very significant event due to the severity of the storm and people are advised to take extreme care," one meteorologist warned.

"People should prepare for the possibility of flooding, landslips, wind damage to powerlines, property and large trees.

"People should be prepared to change their travel plans if necessary as driving could become hazardous during the severe weather period."

Most regions in New Zealand are expected to remain with severe weather warnings in place until at least Friday.

Parts of the country are only just recovering from another extreme weather cycle which hit last week, Cyclone Debbie.

The town of Edgecumbe, in the Bay of Plenty on the North Island, was flooded when a river burst thanks to heavy rainfall.

More than 2,000 people were forced to evacuate while water flooded hundreds of homes.

A met service warning on Cyclone Cook, issued on Wednesday, read: " This is an extreme weather event and people should not take this warning likely.

"Please consider securing property, moving animals to safety, and cancelling or postponing travel where possible."

It added: "Soil is already saturated after last week's rain event, so, add the rain from the Tasman Low and then the wind and rain from Cyclone Cook and you have the ingredients for large scale damage such as fallen trees, landslips and rapidly-rising rivers and streams."</s>New Zealanders are bracing themselves for a second major storm in just over a week as the remnants of Cyclone Cook bear down on the South Pacific nation.

Civil defense authorities advised people in low-lying areas on the North Island's Coromandel Peninsula to evacuate to higher ground.

Air New Zealand suspended flights from Tauranga Airport and the military placed 500 troops on standby.</s>New Zealanders are bracing themselves for what is anticipated to be one of the country's worst storms in years.

The South Pacific island's met service has warned people to "batten down the hatches" with Cyclone Cook set to hit on Thursday.

Winds of up to 150 km/h (93mph), rising sea levels of up to five metres, flooding, landslides and damage to power lines, houses and trees are all expected.

People on the North Island's Coromandel Peninsula, particularly those in low-lying areas, have been urged to evacuate to higher ground by the country's civil defence.

Air New Zealand has suspended flights from Tauranga Airport, while the military has placed 500 troops on standby.

Heavy rains had already begun falling across the country on Wednesday.</s>New Zealand's civil defence authorities lifted severe weather warnings on Friday after tropical Cyclone Cook moved off the country's South Island, but also cautioned that the effects of the storm would still be felt in some areas. Cyclone Cook, the second big storm to hit New Zealand in a week, had earlier killed one person in New Caledonia before lashing parts of New Zealand, with the north and east the hardest hit.

Start the conversation, or Read more at The Star Online.</s>New Zealand is bracing for severe weather with Tropical Cyclone Cook expected to lash the country this week.

MetService is warning locals to brace for power outages and road blocks with the cyclone to bring similar conditions to the storm that sunk the Wahine in 1968, killing 51 passengers.

'I have never seen an event like this in the 12 years I have been a forecaster in New Zealand... this is not an event to be taken lightly,' MetService forecaster Lisa Murray said on Wednesday.

Cook will be the second to batter the country in as many weeks after last week's flooding due to the remnants of Cyclone Debbie, according to Weatherzone.

The category three cyclone is moving south away from New Caledonia and will turn into an extratropical cyclone before reaching New Zealand on Thursday.

It is expected to bring with it destructive winds, heavy rains and stormy conditions.

Heavy rain has already fallen in parts of New Zealand due to a separate low pressure system forming over the Tasman Sea.

Images taken on Wednesday show workers trying to clear flooded roads in Auckland.

Winds up to 150km/h are expected over Auckland, the Bay of Plenty and Wellington when Cook reaches its full force on Thursday night and Friday morning.

Cook is likely to cause flooding in low lying coastal areas including the Bay of Plenty and the Coromandel Peninsula.

The Wahine ship sunk on April 10, 1968 near Wellington after being caught in a storm stirred by Tropical Cyclone Giselle. Of the 734 people on board, 51 drowned.</s>Residents in New Zealand have begun a major clean-up operation after being hit by a powerful cyclone which caused rivers to burst their banks, bringing widespread flooding, landslides, road closures and power outages. According to the New Zealand Herald, Cyclone Cook made landfall at around 6:30pm local time on Thursday on the North Island, before tracking along the east coast and moving down to the South Island.Two people were hospitalized after the car in which they were travelling was hit by a falling tree. The cyclone also left numerous homes flooded and around 10,000 households without electricity.The storm has continues to bring heavy rains to the South Island, though the worst has passed and is expected to die out over the next few hours.</s>Hundreds of people in New Zealand were evacuated from some coastal areas on Thursday as the... . A landslide blocks a road in the North Island town of Omokoroa, New Zealand.

Start the conversation, or Read more at WLOX-TV Biloxi.
A state of emergency is declared and coastal areas are evacuated in the Coromandel Peninsula as Cyclone Cook sweeps across the North Island of New Zealand.