Updated 6.45pm: Residents in Vanuatu are starting to pick up the pieces, now that the worst of Cyclone Pam moved past.

Hurricane-force winds have lashed the tiny island nation of barely a quarter-of-a-million people.

Newstalk ZB's Frances Cook is in the capital, Port Vila, and says the locals are taking stock of the damage.

"What we've got now is a lot of damage. I just took a wee look around Port Vila and the damage is immense.

"All the shops are still boarded up. People are trying to get their homes right first before they can get any of the shops going again."

There are fears Cyclone Pam could now brush New Caledonia, before making its way to New Zealand tomorrow night.

 

Forecaster Hordur Thordarson says Pam is now moving away from Vanuatu at around 20 kilometres an hour and may clip New Caledonia.

"So from then it's going into more open waters and should be away from any islands until it crosses into New Zealand."

Thordarson says Pam's worst weather will pass at sea to the northeast of New Zealand.

They include Gisborne, northern Hawke's Bay, the Bay of Plenty and perhaps Great Barrier Island.

Unofficial figures put the dead in Vanuatu at 44 - and winds gusting up to 340 kilometres an hour have smashed houses and flattened crops.

Thordarson says it's one of the most intense cyclones they've ever seen in the Pacific - and its path for Vanuatu couldn't have been worse.

The centre of it sort-of clipped most of that main island."

Cyclone Pam is now heading towards New Zealand.

The worst of her wind and rain is expected to pass at sea to the northeast but MetService says eastern areas of the North Island will get a battering all day Monday, from around 1am.

Meanwhile, those trapped indoors in Vanuatu by Cyclone Pam are having to sweat out a nervous wait before they can take stock of the category five storm's destruction.

Pam has hammered the island nation overnight with winds over 300 kilometres an hour, and widespread destruction is expected.

Winds are dying down on the islands as the storm moves on, and it's expected those who've spent the night in shelter can venture out and assess the damage shortly.

Communication with the islands is patchy, with many calls not going through.

World Vision's Chloe Morrison says while the worst seems to be over, it's still too dangerous to venture outside.

Reporter Frances Cook spent the night at a shelter in the capital, Port Vila.

"The noise was intense. They were expecting wind gusts of over 200km/hr and you could hear every bit of speed in it.

"It was absolutely screaming round. I was in a concrete building and it was still shaking."

Morrison says her night in a shelter was terrifying.

"Probably the most terrifying part of the ordeal was when I heard what sounded like a tin roof land on our roof, and now I can see it's actually flown right off and is in our front yard."

Philip Duncan says it's still a Category Five system this morning, with wind gusts of up to 340 kilometres an hour.

"It is a very serious storm, it's still at the high end. It is not expected to really weaken a lot today. While it is going to drop from a category five to a four, that's a little like the temperature dropping from 21 to 19."

Civil Defence says it's best to be prepared, just in case the cyclone gets worse on its way to New Zealand.

The system is expected to brush the East Coast region, but areas north of Whangaparaoa could also see some flooding and strong winds from Sunday night.

Auckland Civil Defence Controller Clive Manley says it's worth keeping up with the forecasts.

"How severe this event will be is still uncertain. We don't know how widespread it will be. Certainly coastal properties along that northeast part of Auckland will get impacted by the swell and the wind."

Gisborne's Civil Defence is hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.

Emergency Manager Richard Steele says more than a dozen agencies are making plans.

"Infrastructure and utility owners are doing a lot of work making sure they've got things in place. Emergency services are putting extra resources up the coast in case the State Highway gets closed."

Richard Steele says the main problem is likely to be coastal erosion.

MORE: What you need to do to prepare for Tropical Cyclone Pam

Charity Drive

Rotary New Zealand has launched a charity appeal to help those in Vanuatu affected by cyclone Pam.

The charity has 600 emergency kits on standby to send to the islands.

Funds raised will be used to help with rebuilding efforts after the island nation was devastated by the category five storm this morning.

Details: At any Westpac Branch or by Internet Banking
Quoting 03 1702 0192208 01 Ref. 888

Paypal 
Give a Little
Cheque: RNZWCS Limited (Rotary New Zealand)
PO Box 20309 Christchurch , New Zealand 8543)