Cyclone Gabrielle

We have been aware over the last couple of days that Cyclone Gabrielle has been heading for the north of New Zealand. It is a Level 3 cyclone, which is severe, and has been approaching from the north. It has been featured on both the New Zealand and the international news. Waiheke Island has continued to be warm, although with increasingly heavy bursts of rain as the storm approaches. This morning (Sunday 12th) I was just finishing packing ready to leave for the mainland (James and I planned to hire a car and drive south to Wellington over the next several days while Jamie and Kerry will be at work) when my phone suddenly made a loud alarm sound, that I have never heard before. I picked up my phone and there on the front screen was the following message:

Emergency Alert

Issued by Auckland Emergency Management at

2.20pm Sunday 12 February.

Cyclone Gabrielle is approaching Auckland.

This is a significant weather event.

MetService has issued a RED HEAVY RAIN WARNING for Auckland, Aotea Great Barrier and Gulf islands from 10am Sunday 12 February

to 4am Tuesday 14 February.

MetService has also issued a RED STRONG WIND WARNING for the same locations from

4pm Sunday 12 February until 9pm Tuesday 14

February.

There may be widespread damage to trees, powerlines, homes. Dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and landslips may happen.

Prepare now. Make a plan, gather emergency supplies, remove or tie down loose items and debris around your property. Avoid unnecessary travel. Evacuate to high ground if you see rising water or if you feel unsafe.

Stay informed. Listen to emergency services. If your life is in danger, call 111 immediately.

I have never seen the like! When I went back upstairs I found that everyone had received the same message and we all started discussing what to do about our journey. Our new plan was to avoid the worst of the cyclone by heading south to Wellington with Jamie and Kerry. Meanwhile Jenny calmly and serenely made us a pot of delicious tomato soup for lunch. The news websites informed us of various cancelled ferries and flights, but didn’t mention specific flights, so we decided to set off and see how far we got. Kevin gave us a lift to the ferry and off we bumped across the increasingly choppy water to Auckland. And when we got to the airport we were pleased to find that the 8 p.m. flight to Wellington was flying and on time. Jamie got us into the airport lounge using some of his passes and we were able to have a very pleasant dinner in there before our flight. And our flight flew! I think that we were the last flight out of Auckland before the storm, because the flights were all cancelled the next day. An hour and a half later we were at Jamie and Kerry’s beautiful house in Wellington where we speedily headed for bed.