A snapshot of the massive weather system hitting Aotearoa, one photo, TikTok and YouTube at a time.
The view from space…
Cyclone Gabrielle covering all of the North Island as of 7:20pm today. pic.twitter.com/niRd0Z1vrn
— Australasia From Space (@AussieFromSpace) February 12, 2023
In Whangārei, they’d rather be talking about fish…
“Bit of a rough night,” declares Matt as he takes to Facebook to detail all of the things he’s done to protect his beachside Whangārei home against Cyclone Gabrielle. “Nah, we’re all good eh,” says Matt, looking decidedly less than “all good”. He ends his windy Cribs-style tour by saying he’d rather be talking about fishing. Wouldn’t we all, mate.
Watch out for those rising floodwaters…
Closer to town, one Whangārei motorist managed to evade flooded petrol stations and roadside berms like they were driving through the opening escape sequence from HBO series The Last of Us, sans zombies.
Surf’s up in Tapeka…
Not that anyone should brave a swell of this size …
Near Hikurangi, four-wheel-drives are essential…
Waiwera at 1am is not the place to be…
Waves crash across roads while trees bend in places they shouldn’t. Whoever was out and about taking these videos for the NZ Stormchasers Facebook group should probably have been tucked up in bed.
Neither is Whangārei at 6pm…
Don’t stand too close in Hihi…
Brave souls in Doubtless Bay nearly get a drenching.
Mission Bay’s fountain is no match for the wind…
Fountain at Mission Bay versus wind. pic.twitter.com/yWN4vtBkuW
— Farah (@KiwiFarah) February 12, 2023
In Paihia, the destruction is obvious…
Warning: Michael’s YouTube video may cause motion sickness.
Someone walked up Mt Maunganui when they possibly shouldn’t…
Eileen sparked a minor community furore by braving Mt Maunganui’s peak to take this shot of huge waves at her local beach. “How are you even up there?” thundered one irate Facebook commentator. “All tracks are closed.”
Meanwhile, in Christchurch…
What cyclone?
