Hundreds evacuated as waves batter New Zealand capital
Waves entering Wellington Harbour on Tuesday (Jun 9) were measured at 11m, and some flights were cancelled at Wellington Airport, where wind gusts were recorded of up to 128kmh.
Stormy seas pound the coastline in the Wellington suburb of Owhiro Bay, New Zealand, on Jun 9, 2026. (Photo: AFP/Ben Strang)
Read a summary of this article on FAST.
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
WELLINGTON: Authorities evacuated hundreds of people from their seaside homes in New Zealand’s capital on Tuesday (Jun 9) as 11m waves lashed the coast.
Wellington Mayor Andrew Little declared a state of emergency on the eve of the swells for seaside residents in Owhiro Bay, Island Bay, Houghton Bay and Breaker Bay.
“You must stay away from the southern coastline,” Little said in a statement, warning that emergency workers would not be coming to help anyone who stayed behind.
The evacuation order took effect on Tuesday morning, with police brought in to ensure people moved to higher ground.
Guess Word
Crack the word, one row at a time
Buzzword
Create words using the given letters
Mini Sudoku
Tiny puzzle, mighty brain teaser
Mini Crossword
Small grid, big challenge
Word Search
Spot as many words as you can
Officers set up cordons on surrounding roads to prevent people from heading to the coast.
The council said a similar event in 2021 affected many homes in Breaker Bay, and waves during that storm were about 6.5 metres.
Waves entering Wellington Harbour on Tuesday were measured at 11m, New Zealand’s MetService said.
Wind gusts were so strong at Island Bay that two women were knocked off their feet as waves washed up over the road, an AFP journalist saw.
Some flights were cancelled at Wellington Airport, where wind gusts were recorded of up to 128kmh.
A small plane from local carrier Golden Bay Air tipped onto its side in the wind while parked at the airport with no one aboard.
Airline boss Richard Molloy told national broadcaster RNZ that firefighters had secured the plane to the ground.
Source: AFP/rk
Sign up for our newsletters
Get the CNA app
Stay updated with notifications for breaking news and our best stories
Get WhatsApp alerts
Join our channel for the top reads for the day on your preferred chat app
Get bite-sized news via a new
cards interface. Give it a try.
Click here to return to FAST
Tap here to return to FAST
FAST
About The Author
