NZ Historic Weather Events Catalogue
February 2008 Gisborne and Hawke's Bay High Seas ( 2008-02-08 )
Heavy swells were generated by the aftermath of cyclone Gene which had left the tropics and was moving southwards well to the east of New Zealand. The large waves hit the coast from Gisborne to Wairarapa, extending down to the Kaikoura coast.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
The swell was generated by the aftermath of cyclone Gene which had left the tropics and was moving southwards well to the east of New Zealand. The large waves hit the coast from Gisborne to Wairarapa, extending down to the Kaikoura coast.
Maritime / Coastal
at
North Island
Duration: 2 days - The sweep of some waves came inshore especially on high tide near dawn and dusk on the 8th and the 9th.
There was a MetService warning of heavy swells up to 6 m high to hit East Coast of North Island by the night of the 8th.
Gisborne
Maritime / Coastal
at
Wainui
A spring tide combined with a 4 m north-easterly swell created heavy seas on the 9th. The highest waves were at 8:30am.
The waves went onto people's property.
One Gisborne local said he hed not seen anything like that since 1970s.
Beach accessways and private beach steps were damaged as the banks gave way.
Stock Route residences were hit hard by wave action focused on the old riverbed.
One resident said they hadn't had a swell like this for two years and that the concern was not height of waves but the swirling motion which was eating away at the banks.
A resident's stairs snapped in two when the lower half of a bank gave way.
By the afternoon of the 9th the swell was doing such damage to the foredunes that that two residents sandbagged to prevent further slippage.
A four year old child was rescued from a rogue wave at Wainui Surf Club that came up past the lagoon and swamped him.
A surfer said that surf on the night of the 8th was the biggest he'd ever seen it ("10 ft waves with 30 ft faces").
Hawke's Bay
Maritime / Coastal
at
Hawke's Bay
Swells up to 6 m pounded the coast and threatened beach front homes.
Swells battered concrete retaining walls and swept shingle from underneath homes.
Carparks flooded and debris was dumped near shoreline businesses.
Haumoana and Te Awanga homes sustained the most damage.
The absence of a spring tide saved homes from severe damage.
Water came up at 7:20pm on the 8th during high tide and again on the morning of the 9th. The wave level peaked at 8:10am on the 9th and was reaching homes opposite the Te Awanga pub.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Haumoana
One garage had about a third of the gravel underneath it swept away by waves.
There was some flooding in the area but no major damage.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Napier
Waves reached the rear carpark of Ocean Spa. The manager said the waves were the biggest he'd seen in the six years he's been there.
Canterbury
Maritime / Coastal
at
Christchurch
There were huge swells of 3-4 m on the 11th.
The North Beach surf life saving carnival was cancelled on the 10th and a number of beaches were on the verge of closing.
References
- Headline: Surfers in awe of weekend's waves.
- gisborneherald.co.nz, 11 February 2008.
- Headline: Wainui residents worry as sandbanks crumble.
- gisborneherald.co.nz, 11 February 2008.
- Headline: When beachfront property becomes the beach.
- gisborneherald.co.nz, 9 February 2008.
- Headline: Waves undermine homes.
- Hawke's Bay Today, 11 February 2008.
- Headline: Huge swells hammer Christchurch beaches.
- newstalkzb.co.nz, 11 February 2008.
- Headline: Big swells, wild surf forecast for east coast.
- stuff.oc.nz, Source: NZPA, 7 February 2008.
- Headline: Large waves threaten homes in Hastings.
- tv3.co.nz, 9 February 2008.
February 2008 Gisborne and Hawke's Bay High Seas ( 2008-02-08 )
Heavy swells were generated by the aftermath of cyclone Gene which had left the tropics and was moving southwards well to the east of New Zealand. The large waves hit the coast from Gisborne to Wairarapa, extending down to the Kaikoura coast.
New Zealand
Multi Hazard
The swell was generated by the aftermath of cyclone Gene which had left the tropics and was moving southwards well to the east of New Zealand. The large waves hit the coast from Gisborne to Wairarapa, extending down to the Kaikoura coast.
Maritime / Coastal
at
North Island
Duration: 2 days - The sweep of some waves came inshore especially on high tide near dawn and dusk on the 8th and the 9th.
There was a MetService warning of heavy swells up to 6 m high to hit East Coast of North Island by the night of the 8th.
Gisborne
Maritime / Coastal
at
Wainui
A spring tide combined with a 4 m north-easterly swell created heavy seas on the 9th. The highest waves were at 8:30am.
The waves went onto people's property.
One Gisborne local said he hed not seen anything like that since 1970s.
Beach accessways and private beach steps were damaged as the banks gave way.
Stock Route residences were hit hard by wave action focused on the old riverbed.
One resident said they hadn't had a swell like this for two years and that the concern was not height of waves but the swirling motion which was eating away at the banks.
A resident's stairs snapped in two when the lower half of a bank gave way.
By the afternoon of the 9th the swell was doing such damage to the foredunes that that two residents sandbagged to prevent further slippage.
A four year old child was rescued from a rogue wave at Wainui Surf Club that came up past the lagoon and swamped him.
A surfer said that surf on the night of the 8th was the biggest he'd ever seen it ("10 ft waves with 30 ft faces").
Hawke's Bay
Maritime / Coastal
at
Hawke's Bay
Swells up to 6 m pounded the coast and threatened beach front homes.
Swells battered concrete retaining walls and swept shingle from underneath homes.
Carparks flooded and debris was dumped near shoreline businesses.
Haumoana and Te Awanga homes sustained the most damage.
The absence of a spring tide saved homes from severe damage.
Water came up at 7:20pm on the 8th during high tide and again on the morning of the 9th. The wave level peaked at 8:10am on the 9th and was reaching homes opposite the Te Awanga pub.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Haumoana
One garage had about a third of the gravel underneath it swept away by waves.
There was some flooding in the area but no major damage.
Maritime / Coastal
at
Napier
Waves reached the rear carpark of Ocean Spa. The manager said the waves were the biggest he'd seen in the six years he's been there.
Canterbury
Maritime / Coastal
at
Christchurch
There were huge swells of 3-4 m on the 11th.
The North Beach surf life saving carnival was cancelled on the 10th and a number of beaches were on the verge of closing.
References
- Headline: Surfers in awe of weekend's waves.
- gisborneherald.co.nz, 11 February 2008.
- Headline: Wainui residents worry as sandbanks crumble.
- gisborneherald.co.nz, 11 February 2008.
- Headline: When beachfront property becomes the beach.
- gisborneherald.co.nz, 9 February 2008.
- Headline: Waves undermine homes.
- Hawke's Bay Today, 11 February 2008.
- Headline: Huge swells hammer Christchurch beaches.
- newstalkzb.co.nz, 11 February 2008.
- Headline: Big swells, wild surf forecast for east coast.
- stuff.oc.nz, Source: NZPA, 7 February 2008.
- Headline: Large waves threaten homes in Hastings.
- tv3.co.nz, 9 February 2008.