On June 9, hundreds of coastal residents in New Zealand's capital Wellington had to evacuate when waves up to 11m high hit the coastal area.
Mayor Wellington Andrew Little declared a state of emergency for residents in the areas of Owhiro Bay, Island Bay, Houghton Bay and Breaker Bay before large waves appeared.
In an official statement, the mayor asked people to stay away from the entire southern coastal area, and warned that rescue forces would not be able to support those who intentionally stay in the dangerous area.
Police are deployed to ensure people move to higher terrain areas. Checkpoints are also set up on surrounding roads to prevent people from approaching the coast.
According to the New Zealand MetService, waves entering Wellington port were recorded at 11m. The City Council said a similar phenomenon occurred in 2021, when many houses in Breaker Bay were affected. At that time, the wave height was only about 6.5m.
Extreme weather conditions are also accompanied by strong gusts of wind. In the Island Bay area, 2 women were knocked down when waves overflowed the road surface. An AFP reporter present at the scene recorded this incident.
Aviation operations in Wellington were also significantly affected. Some flights were canceled due to gusts of up to 128 km/h recorded at Wellington airport.
A small aircraft of local airline Golden Bay Air was overturned by the wind while parked at the airport. There were no people on board at the time of the incident.
