A State of Emergency has been declared for Northland as part of the region’s response to the potentially deadly Cyclone Vaianu.

The emergency declaration was made after consultation with local councils and emergency services, and was requested by Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group controller Damian Rio.

The State of Emergency is in place for an initial period of seven days.

Rio said region-wide emergency declarations are relatively rare in Northland.

“This declaration means we can act quickly if required. It gives us the tools to respond effectively and keep our communities safe if the situation escalates.”

And further south down SH1, the Auckland Harbour Bridge faces possible closure as the cyclone bringing with it 140km/h wind gusts heads for the North Island.

NZ Transport Agency (NZTA) said drivers should expect the bridge might need to be fully closed if wind gusts get too high. Lane closures and reduced speed limits were also likely.

One rare red and 22 orange rain and wind alerts have been issued across the North Island, as the “multi-hazard”, potentially life-threatening cyclone approaches New Zealand.

The red alert is a severe strong wind warning for the Coromandel Peninsula and Great Barrier Island from 5am to 6pm on Sunday, with wind gusts expected to hit 140km/h.

MetService has warned of “threat to life from flying items and falling trees” and has advised those in Coromandel and on Great Barrier to stay inside and avoid travel.

Forecaster Heather Keats told Ryan Bridge TODAY that there was now more clarity on the path of the “very large, damaging weather system”.

“It’s expected to cross over the top of the Coromandel Peninsula, move over Bay of Plenty, come across Hawke’s Bay and flick out to the east.

She warned people “to take seriously” the dangers around the potentially life-threatening storm.

An orange rain warning is in force for Northland and south of the Bay of Islands to Hokianga Harbour from late Saturday evening.

A strong wind warning is also in place for Northland and Auckland, with gales expected to reach 130km/h for most of the day on Sunday.

Auckland, Great Barrier Island, the Coromandel Peninsula, the Bay of Plenty including Rotorua, and Gisborne north of Tolaga Bay are under an orange heavy rain warning from the early hours of Sunday through to the afternoon.

Prime Minister Christopher Luxon told media this morning that the Army was on standby, with National Emergency Management Agency (Nema) officials preparing for a significant event on Sunday.

“Sadly, through a number of events, we have got better and better at managing events as local and central, but it’s still also on households to take control and be prepared.

“Frankly, now is time to get organised and be prepared, think about evacuation if you need to, think about supplies, taking control over your household, tie loose items down and follow local advice.”

Luxon said his main piece of advice was not to drive through floodwaters. He has implored people to take responsibility for their response.

Auckland Mayor Wayne Brown said he was “quite worried [about] this one” because of previous floods.

In those events, regional councils “never got around to what they were paid to do”, and decision-making bodies needed to be better prepared.

“Not just people but [the] whole system, as a nation, including the weather forecasters, haven’t been my pick at horse races as of late.

“Last time I had to apologise because they told me there’d be 20mm of rain and there was 400mm.

“Take it carefully this time … don’t do dumb stuff, and I’m wishing everybody all the best.”

Civil Defence warns risk of death high

Nema’s director of civil defence, John Price, told Ryan Bridge TODAY that the “ability to die in these types of events is high”.

“People need to take this very seriously.

“Do not drive into floodwater, do not walk into floodwater. You will die, we’ve seen it, it happens.

“Even 15cm of water can knock you off your feet … you don’t know what’s in it, the velocity of it, the speed.”

Price said landslides and affected roads were “almost a certainty.”

Agencies had taken advantage of the clear weather to prepare well.

“Councils are working across as a system; we’ve taken very early posture, as soon as we saw the threat, all government agencies stepped up.

“Trust in confidence in partner agencies doing [their] best … we’re meeting regularly, we’ve pre-planned, we are pre-positioned and have good posture.”

MetService meteorologist Alanah Burrows earlier told the Herald the severe weather team had issued widespread warnings as a “heads-up”.

“We’ve kind of got this window of better weather just before it hits, so you could use this time wisely to prepare yourself.

“You might want to think about getting prepared, tying down loose items outside, stocking up your home.

“In those strong winds, you could have damage to power lines - you might want to get batteries, torches.

“Because it’s the end of the holidays or it’s within the holidays, so maybe people should start considering their travel plans for the weekend.”

Image of wind forecast for 6am, Sunday April 12, 2026. Image / NIWA 

Auckland Council’s emergency management activated its Emergency Co-ordination Centre yesterday, while its Healthy Waters team has been checking flooding hotspots.

At least one cruise ship is altering its itinerary, docking in Auckland tomorrow instead of heading to Tauranga.

A spokesperson said docking in Tauranga first could have affected the Discovery Princess’ planned arrival in Auckland on Sunday, when the weather was expected to be at its worst.

The ship’s scheduled departure from Auckland to the Bay of Islands on Monday might also be cancelled, “depending on what the storm does”.

“Discovery Princess is going to spend two days in Auckland to ride out the storm. The Port of Auckland tugs could be busy looking after her.”

Another cruise ship, the Norwegian Spirit, has also adjusted its schedule to avoid the Bay of Islands and Tauranga, instead travelling south to dock in Wellington on Sunday morning.

Supplies such as water empty from supermarket shelves

Across the Auckland region, scores of shoppers were taking advice and stocking up on essential items.

Ahead of the arrival of the storm, a shopper at the Woolworths in the Coast shopping centre in Whangaparāoa has taken a photo of empty water shelves. Photo / Supplied

A shopper at Pak n Save Mt Albert said they were purchasing multiple bottles of water to prepare, “just in case”.

Queues are developing at Pak n Save Mt Albert ahead of tomorrow's first weather warnings. Photo / Imogene Bedford

Staff members could be seen restocking water supplies and queues were starting to form as shoppers trickled in after-work.

Staff were hard at work restocking water supplies at Pak n Save Mt Albert. Photo / Imogene Bedford

A shopper at Pak’n Save Wairau said the store was “mental”.

And a shopper at the Woolworths in the Coast shopping centre in Whangaparāoa has reported empty water shelves.

Cloudy and showers before cyclone hits

Today’s weather across the top of the country will be cloudy, with the possibility of showers in the afternoon for the west coast of Northland, southern Auckland and the Bay of Plenty.

The first signs of the cyclone will make landfall tomorrow night as severe gale-force winds exceeding 120km/h begin in Northland, Auckland and Great Barrier Island, while heavy rain is expected to be in the 100 to 180mm range in some areas.

These extreme gusts will continue throughout Sunday, causing heavy swells and possible damage to trees, powerlines, and unsecured structures.

The tropical cyclone will be accompanied by a humid air mass, with several “quite warm and sticky” nights ahead for the North Island.

Taupō will be 10C hotter than usual, while Auckland and Gisborne will both be sitting at 6C above average.

In the South Island, today’s weather will be largely fine and sunny despite some morning cloud, which will continue into tomorrow for most of the region.

Fiordland can expect some rain in the far southwest overnight, and northern areas such as Nelson and Marlborough might see “the odd spot of rain”.