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Cyclone Gita has hit New Zealand, turning rush hour to chaos and forcing evacuations.

The cyclone swept across the Pacific last week, bringing destruction and devastation to Tonga and Samoa. It's now expected to slam into New Zealand's southern North Island and the northern half of the South Island.

Motorists are urged to delay travel, with roads expected to close in major urban centres. The NZTA says driving conditions are likely to be treacherous in many affected areas, with heavy rain and very strong winds.

The Marlborough District Council has warned campers and boaties to leave the area immediately.

What you need to know:



Gale-force gusts, slips, flooding and coastal inundation is predicted

Civil Defence staff have been pre-deployed to the areas that will be worst affected

Taranaki, Nelson Tasman, Westland, Selwyn, Christchurch, Buller and Grey districts have each delcared a State of Emergency

New Zealanders are being urged to prepare emergency evacuation plans and have a grab-bag ready

People have been advised not to travel during the storm and several schools have been closed

Kaikoura has been cut off due to the closure of both SH1 and SH70

State Highway 6 has been closed from Westport to Greymouth and from Hokitika to Franz Josef Glacier

State Highway 60 has been closed from Riwaka to Tākaka



Riwaka residents have been evacuated as the river is near to bursting its banks

These live updates have now ended.</s>Cyclone Gita is pounding New Zealand with torrential rain, damaging winds and large waves.

Tens of thousands of people have lost power, a number of major roads are impassable and flights to and from Wellington International Airport have been suspended until the cyclone has cleared.

There are also reports of people being trapped on their roofs by flood waters and one person being swept away, according to the New Zealand Herald.

Seven provinces - Christchurch, Buller District, Grey District, Selwyn, Westland, Tasman and Taranaki - have declared states of emergency.

Waves as high as 6.7 metres have been pounding the coast and a gust of 130 kilometres per hour (kmph) was reported in Hawera.

A staggering 256 millimetres of rain fell in the Kaikoura Ranges in just 18 hours, and of that, 53.6mm of that fell in one hour, making it the wettest hour ever recorded in New Zealand.

The cyclone developed two weeks ago in the southern Pacific Ocean near the waters of Fiji.

It then rapidly strengthened as it grazed Niue and headed towards the islands of Tonga, which was badly hit. The entirety of the main island of Tongatapu lost power and the storm destroyed numerous homes, churches and even the nation's historic Parliament House.

Gita then skirted the south of New Caledonia, but caused no major damage, before curving to the south and running towards the land of the long white cloud.

The storm is expected to take about 6 hours to cross the South Island, with the centre of Gita clearing the east coast around 15GMT (3am local time).

Even as the storm clears, more rain is forecast on Wednesday, exacerbating the flooding problems and hampering the clear up efforts.</s>New Zealand is being battered by cyclone Gita after the tropical storm devastated the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week.

Seven districts - including Christchurch, Grey District and Buller District have declared a state of emergency as the cyclone began to make landfall overnight.

Tens of thousands were without power on Tuesday night as locals were warned to prepare for floods, huge waves and gusts of winds reaching close to 200km/h.

New Zealand defence force troops were deployed as reports came through that homeowners were trapped on their roofs by flood waters.

More than 60 tourists , mostly from China, are reportedly trapped inside two tour buses in Whataroa, on the South Island, as the eye of the storm passes through.

The council has urged people to stay inside and not to travel unless it is absolutely necessary.

Even before the storm hit in full force, heavy rains in the centre of New Zealand brought floods in Christchurch, prompting a warning from Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

'The full impact of the storm will be felt overnight and tomorrow morning,' she said, urging residents of low-lying areas to evacuate.

'We are expecting homes to be flooded.'

Air New Zealand said all flights to the capital would be grounded from 2.45 pm as weather authorities issued warnings of severe weather and heavy rain.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said troops had fanned out to areas likely to be the hardest hit and the national Civil Defence office in Wellington was on standby to help.

'My message still to people is please look out for your local warnings and expect disruption to travel and please just be careful,' she told reporters at parliament.

Cyclone Gita hit the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week, packing winds up to 275 km/h.

Fiji escaped major damage but Tonga suffered widespread destruction and flooding. Earlier, the storm had caused extensive damage in Samoa and American Samoa.

The cyclone had since been downgraded to a storm, but forecasters said it was still likely to wreak havoc on Tuesday evening as it traversed the centre of New Zealand.

Parts of the country are still reeling from a huge storm that prompted authorities to declare states of emergency at the beginning of February.

More than 40 schools and preschools shut in the upper South Island, while mayors urged people to stay home.</s>Cyclone Gita is expected to crash into New Zealand on Tuesday evening and is on track to make landfall on the northwest of the South Island. The Met Service has warned that Gita could be packing gusts of up to 120kmph (75mph) and as located off the north-west coast of New Zealand. In the footage, a live stream from Lyall Bay, in Wellington, shows calm weather before the monster storm makes landfall.

An update from Met Service yesterday read: “TC Gita is forecast to continue moving southwards as a Category 2 Tropical Cyclone for the next 36 hours, and the track will gradually start to tilt southeastwards. “Once it reaches approximately 35S, TC Gita is expected to undergo a transition into an extra-tropical cyclone. “Although it will lose its status as a tropical cyclone, Gita will still be a significant low-pressure system, bringing severe weather to many parts of the country. “It will maintain storm force winds around the centre of the storm, and possibly reach hurricane force. While it will no longer be a tropical cyclone, that does not mean it will have weakened or dissipated.

“Once it undergoes this transition, it will no longer be referred to as Tropical Cyclone Gita – instead, it will become simply Cyclone Gita.” The weather forecast predicts the storm to “pass over the upper South Island overnight Tuesday/Wednesday”. Met Service added Cyclone Gita was expected to bring “severe weather” to parts of New Zealand. A watch for heavy rain and severe gales have also been issued for some parts of the country. Senior meteorologist for Met Service New Zealand, Lisa Murray, said they were “most concerned” about the South Island.

She said: “You can see much of the country is under a Watch or a warning. There are wind speeds that will reach 90 kmph (55mph) or gusts of more than 110kmph (68mph) so 120kmph (75mph) gusts. “All this area in the South Island is under warning. Also the North Island… into the central region and the rest of the area is under watch. “This central region and the South Island is what we are most concerned about. The forecaster Ms Murray also warned about the rainfall that will batter New Zealand as the cyclone hits the country.</s>(Reuters) – At least 5,000 people in New Zealand’s South Island were cut off by massive landslips and hundreds of tourists stranded on Wednesday after former cyclone Gita whipped through the country, sparking a state of emergency in several southern towns.

Torrential rains from Gita, which was downgraded on Tuesday from a tropical cyclone to storm, lashed the center of New Zealand, causing floods in the city of Christchurch and other provinces.

New Zealand’s weather bureau told local media the worst was likely over.

“Really the heavy rain now is focused from Canterbury down to Otago this morning, then that gradually eases,” MetService meteorologist Karl Loots told the Dominion Post.

“The worst impacts for most have past.”

Cyclone Gita hit the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week, packing winds up to 275 kph (171 mph). Fiji escaped major damage but Tonga suffered widespread destruction and flooding. Earlier, the storm had caused extensive damage in Samoa and American Samoa.

In New Zealand’s South Island, about 200 tourists were still trapped after spending the night in their buses or in welfare centers, Radio NZ reported.

Schools in Canterbury remained shut on Wednesday and around 14,000 households in the central North Island remained without power.</s>Flights at five airports in New Zealand were cancelled on Tuesday due to Cyclone Gita, which last week left one person dead and caused extensive destruction in Tonga.

Air New Zealand reported that it had canceled all flights in and out of Wellington airport due to the cyclone, which was expected to reach central New Zealand with winds of up to 150 (93 miles) kilometers per hour.</s>WELLINGTON (Reuters) - New Zealand’s national carrier on Tuesday cancelled all flights in and out of the capital, Wellington, and the southern city of Christchurch declared a state of emergency as the remnants of tropical cyclone Gita pummelled the country.

Even before the storm hit in full force, heavy rains in the centre of New Zealand brought floods in Christchurch, prompting a warning from Mayor Lianne Dalziel.

“The full impact of the storm will be felt overnight and tomorrow morning,” she said, urging residents of low-lying areas to evacuate. “We are expecting homes to be flooded.”

Air New Zealand said all flights to the capital would be grounded from 2.45 p.m. (0145 GMT) as weather authorities issued warnings of severe weather and heavy rain and gusts of up to 150 kph (93 mph).

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said troops had fanned out to areas likely to be the hardest hit and the national Civil Defence office in Wellington was on standby to help.

“My message still to people is please look out for your local warnings and expect disruption to travel and please just be careful,” she told reporters at parliament.

Cyclone Gita hit the Pacific island nations of Fiji and Tonga last week, packing winds up to 275 kph (171 mph). Fiji escaped major damage but Tonga suffered widespread destruction and flooding. Earlier, the storm had caused extensive damage in Samoa and American Samoa.

The cyclone had since been downgraded to a storm, but forecasters said it was still likely to wreak havoc on Tuesday evening as it traversed the centre of New Zealand.

Parts of the country are still reeling from a huge storm that prompted authorities to declare states of emergency at the beginning of February.

More than 40 schools and preschools shut in the upper South Island, while mayors urged people to stay home.

Transport authorities shut a stretch of highway along the east coast of the South Island and the Department of Conservation was closing seaside hiking tracks and campsites along the West Coast and ushering tourists away from low-lying areas, media said.</s>Cyclone Gita, which caused havoc in Tonga last week and was recently upgraded to category five, now has New Zealand in its "firing line".

The storm's passage was "expected to bring a period of high-impact severe weather to many parts of central New Zealand," MetService said in a severe weather warning issued midday Monday.

And meteorologist Nick Zacher said the latest forecast track continued to show Gita crossing northern portions of the South Island from Tuesday into Wednesday morning.

Cyclone Gita could bring gales with gusts of over 150kmh and heavy rain to a vast swathe of the country when it hits on Tuesday evening.

Regions including Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, parts of the West Coast, Wellington and Horowhenua are expected to be lashed by more than 100 millimetres of rainfall in just 24 hours.

Express.co.uk brings you the latest updates on Cyclone Gita LIVE. All times in GMT.</s>Cyclone Gita is also expected to create huge sea surges where six-metre waves could flood the coastline while ferocious gales wreak havoc across New Zealand. Cyclone Gita has already battered Tonga and has New Zealand in its “firing line” having been upgraded to a Category 5 storm. Cyclone Gita could bring gales with gusts of over 150kmph and heavy rain across large parts of New Zealand when the storm hits on Tuesday evening. The latest Cyclone Gita path update model shows the devastating winds make a direct hit on New Zealand.

The storm's passage was "expected to bring a period of high-impact severe weather to many parts of central New Zealand," MetService said in a severe weather warning issued midday Monday. And meteorologist Nick Zacher said the latest forecast track continued to show Gita crossing northern portions of the South Island from Tuesday into Wednesday morning. MetService meteorologist Nick Zacher said the centre of the storm is en route to hitting the upper South Island from a northwestern direction.

The meteorologist said: "That's where the most intense winds are going to be occurring. "We're expecting wind gusts approaching 140kmh, even 150kmh. That's going to be about from late afternoon onwards." Cyclone Gita has also prompted fears of a Dengue Fever outbreak, according to health experts. Residents of Tonga are now most at risk from the contagion because of stagnant flood water across the Pacific island.

Stagnant water is the perfect breeding ground for mosquitoes carrying the deadly tropical disease. Construction expert Saia Latu said on Monday efforts to drain the risky water were taking too long. He said: “We'll be driving around in a big truck, with a big generator, getting rid of that water because it's a huge Dengue hazard.”</s>Cyclone Gita battered Tonga last week with devastating winds that left thousands fleeing their homes. Now the tropical storm is heading for New Zealand.

New Zealand is expecting to be battered with ferocious gales and huge sea surges as waves over 6metres tall are likely to flood the coastline.

Regions including Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, parts of the West Coast, Wellington and Horowhenua are expected to be lashed by more than 100 millimetres of rainfall in just 24 hours.

Cyclone Gita could bring gales with gusts of over 150kmh and heavy rain to a vast swathe of the country when it hits on Tuesday evening.
Seven regions in New Zealand declare states of emergency as Cyclone Gita makes landfall.