Campers told to evacuate as 'Massive Storm' due to hit 4th January 2018

[JennyLeez]

 Campers in West Auckland and Coromandel have been told to evacuate or risk being caught up in a monster storm due to hit the region today.

Fiona Anderson, who runs the Piha campground, issued an evacuation notice via its official Facebook page early this morning.

"Evacuate today! There is a massive storm coming. A king high tide at midnight tonight, Thursday 4th January, combined with 4-6m waves, high winds and torrential rain means that the conditions could become dangerous for human life,'' she wrote.

Many holiday coastal communities may face flooding as a storm makes landfall.

 Anderson said MetService had recommended campers in low-lying areas move to higher ground immediately.

"We are recommending that you evacuate and leave the camping ground today. If the camp begins to flood tonight and you are still here, you will be expected to self-rescue.

"We are so very sorry for the inconvenience, but it is better to be safe than sorry.''

A spokeswoman at Piha Domain said just before 9.30am they were evacuating those still at the site and calling people booked today to let them know the camp was being evacuated.

The weather now was "raining" she said. "There's no wind, but the rain is pretty bad.''

Meanwhile, campers have left the Coromandel early and public holiday events cancelled ahead of the coming storm.

 Campers choosing to ride out the storm were busy fastening tents and removing property that risked flying away in hurricane-strength winds.

At the Papa Aroha Holiday Park, north of Coromandel Town, manager Anita Wykes said some people had cut short their holidays, but most campers wanted to stay at the beachfront campground. They were prepared for a pounding, she said.

Awnings had been taken down from caravans and anything that could become airborne had been deflated or tied down.

A plan was in place to evacuate to higher ground if tides and floodwaters threatened the campsite.

In Whangamata, the popular Colour Splash event was cancelled because of heavy rain.

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