People in the top half of the North Island have woken this morning to a red-tinged rising sun, a day after 'apocalyptic' haze from the Australian bush fire crisis hit the South Island.

Aucklanders took to social media to share photos of the alarming sight, writing that it was "Auckland's turn" to experience the phenomenon, with some struggling to explain the otherworldly glow to their children.

A North Shore mum told the Herald that her 5-year-old asked why the sun was so orange and that she was hesitant to explain the full extent of the unfolding tragedy in Australia.

Looks like it's Auckland's turn to lose the sun#AustralianFires pic.twitter.com/Qri6FEFYoY

— Keith Miller (@keith_miller_nz) January 1, 2020

Smoke from the #AustralianFires reach Auckland, NZ and the sun turns red 😢#bushfiresNSW pic.twitter.com/UdDSaCM2TM

— Mariah Cousins (@MariaCousins1) January 1, 2020

MetService said on Tuesday that the haze would spread northwards over the week, until a front sweeps it away at the weekend.

The decade closed to an inferno in Australia with holidaymakers huddled on the beaches, whole towns devoured, dozens of homes destroyed and at least two lives lost on the deadliest day of the worst bush fire season on record.

The Australian Defence Force and emergency services in Victoria are preparing today to evacuate people stranded in the beachside town of Mallacoota in East Gippsland.

View from the window this morning in Wanaka NZ.... that's smoke from the fires in Aussie causing what you see. Cant imagine what it must be like there pic.twitter.com/sUvR19OIX4

— John Watt (@JohnWattNZ) December 31, 2019

With around 4000 people stranded on Mallacoota Beach, most of them tourists, HMAS Choules has been sent to the area with the possibility of beginning to evacuate people by sea, the Australian reports.

Meanwhile in New South Wales, authorities have less than 24 hours to move the thousands of people stranded on the South Coast who face a humanitarian crisis amid looming horror fire conditions.

Hundreds of people queued for hours on Wednesday to get food and supplies after power was lost to thousands of homes across the region.

A road has been opened north of Batemans Bay to allow stranded holidaymakers to return towards Sydney.

There are 50,000 homes without power and residents have no phone service and are low on fuel.

Firefighters are bracing for more difficult conditions in the coming days, with hot temperatures and strong winds forecast for already bush fire-ravaged communities on the NSW south coast.