Auckland assessed the destruction after 140km/h winds battered the city, bringing trees crashing onto homes and roads and knocking down power poles.

An estimated 120,000 homes and businesses were without power – with warnings it was to take days for all electricity to be restored after significant and widespread damage.

MetService lead forecaster Michael Martens said “hurricane-force” windsreached 140km/h in Auckland City, but the top gust recorded was 213km/h at Manukau Heads. Damage was done on our own ‘door-step’ where a sailboat ‘came to grief’ on the Pier 21 hard stand.