A cruise ship has been forced to delay its arrival into Auckland today as the tail of ex-tropical cyclone Lola continues to lash the upper North Island.
The Majestic Princess is currently anchored off Rangitoto Island as the port remains closed due to the wild weather.
A Princess Cruises spokesperson told 1News the ship may be able to dock tonight.
The remnants of cyclone Lola and another weather system have combined to bring strong gusts and substantial rainfall. (Source: 1News)
"Upon approval from the harbour authority, and subject to weather conditions, Majestic Princess is expected alongside tonight, October 30 at 9.00pm local time.
"Guests will remain onboard until the morning at which time a select number of guests will begin disembarkation at 6:30am local time.
"Given this delay, embarkation for the following cruise has been delayed by one day and will now take place on Tuesday, October 31."
The ship's arrival into the city is part of a 25-day cruise from Los Angeles.
A spokesperson for the Ports of Auckland said the Majestic Princess' delay was due to the "strong winds" the city is currently experiencing.
"Once it's safe for us to bring them in we will."
Overnight, thousands of people lost power in Northland amid severe weather, as the tail of cyclone Lola hit New Zealand.
Both Top Energy and Northpower showed large parts of the region without power early today.
Top Energy reported the bulk of those outages were due to "extreme weather" affecting equipment.
A Top Energy spokesperson said: "Fault crews were out first thing to assess the damage across the network.
"We experienced over 100km an hour winds which has brought trees and debris into the lines."
A number of yachts were damaged at Auckland’s Waiake Beach. (Source: 1News)
A Facebook statement from the provider said: "Our vegetation crews will be out clearing fallen trees and debris from the line so that repairs can begin. Please be prepared for prolonged outages – it could take some time to fully restore the network."
And for a number of outages further south, Northpower said it couldn't address the problem overnight.
"Unfortunately due to dangerous conditions with lines and wind we are having to leave this area isolated until tomorrow," the information for a number of cuts in Northpower's area read. "We apologise for the inconvenience.
"Thank you for your patience. Please treat all lines as LIVE."
It comes as the tail of ex-tropical cyclone Lola – which hit Vanuatu last week – lashed the upper North Island from yesterday.
The wild weather is set to continue for many today.
Some schools in Northland and Coromandel have closed for the day amid the rain and wind.
MetService severe weather warnings and watches are in place for much of the upper and east North Island.
Most orange strong wind warnings from overnight ended this morning, but Coromandel Peninsula remains under an orange strong wind warning until 11am today.
"Strong wind gusts could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures. Driving may be hazardous, especially for high-sided vehicles and motorcycles," MetService warned.
The remnants of Cyclone Lola have hit the upper North Island, leading to power outages and some flooding. (Source: 1News)
Orange heavy rain warnings are in place for Coromandel Peninsula from 9am today to 9am tomorrow, for Tairāwhiti Gisborne from Tolaga Bay northwards from 9am this morning to 4pm tomorrow, for Bay of Plenty west of Matata including Rotorua from 9am today to 9am tomorrow, for Tairāwhiti Gisborne south of Tolaga Bay from 1pm today to 5pm tomorrow and for the inland ranges of Hawke's Bay south of State Highway 5 from 2pm today to 5pm tomorrow.
"Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous," MetService said.
A strong wind watch is in place for the Kaimai Range and eastern Waikato until 11am today.
A heavy rain watch is in place for Northland from 9am today to 8am tomorrow.
"Heavy rain is most likely in the Coromandel and Gisborne, while the strongest winds are expected from eastern Northland to the Coromandel," NIWA Weather wrote on Twitter.
The transport agency said the Auckland Harbour Bridge would operate with four lanes in each direction during the morning peak, and speed restrictions and delays should be expected.
And all ferry services between downtown Auckland and Pine Harbour are cancelled due to weather conditions and debris in the Harbour, Auckland Transport said this morning.
Garry Towler from Coromandel Civil Defence said plenty of rain had fallen in the region overnight and winds of up to 120km/h had hit.
More rain and gusts were expected today.
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