Cyclone Cook hits Easter tourism as it moves along New Zealand's east coast

Hundreds of people in New Zealand have been evacuated from some coastal areas as the second major storm in just over a week made landfall near the North Island town of Whakatane.

Weather authorities had said the country was potentially facing the worst storm since 1968, although Auckland residents breathed a sigh of relief as the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Cook moved past them to the east.

Set to travel down New Zealand's east coast, the storm is likely to curtail tourism activity on what would have been a busy long weekend.

A state of emergency for the Bay of Plenty and the Thames-Coromandel district was declared last evening but lifted early this morning.

Popular visitor attractions in the path of the storm shut early during yesterday, with Hamilton Zoo closing its gates four hours early at 1pm.

The poor weather conditions had seen many animals on display at the zoo chosing to take shelter out of the view of visitors.

A statement from the Zoo yesterday advised "the forecast weather conditions include very strong winds and intense rainfall, and zoo management considers animal welfare and staff safety paramount.

"Visitor numbers are also expected to be minimal due to the weather, with local authorities and weather agencies urging residents to stay indoors."

Roads have been blocked by fallen trees and landslides, and about thousands of homes in the eastern Bay of Plenty had lost power.

Air New Zealand suspended flights from Tauranga Airport and other flights around the country were also delayed or cancelled.

New Zealand's meteorological service had issued severe weather warnings for the upper North Island and warned of landslides, flooding and wind damage from gusts of up to 150 kilometres per hour - but all severe weather warnings were reportedly lifted by Friday morning, according to local media.

Disaster authorities asked people to avoid hardest-hit towns and reconsider their travels over the four-day Easter weekend.

Earlier in the week, had impacted both Vanuatu and New Caledonia, packing winds of up to 200 kilometres per hour.

The storm resulted in one fatality and brought down coconut trees, blocking roads and forcing residents to seek shelter indoors.

As of yesterday, the Vanuatu Tourism Office (VTO) says it is business as usual and hotels and resorts are open as normal on Efate (Port Vila), Espiritu Santo and Tanna.

VTO also advised that airports in Port Vila, Espiritu Santo, and Tanna are open and that international and domestic flights are operational.

Hamilton Zoo reopen for business at 9am today (Good Friday) after the usual enclosure checks and will remain open for the rest of Easter weekend.

Image: One of Hamilton Zoo's chimpanzees takes shelter in advance of Tropical Cyclone Cook. 

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