‘Calm before the storm’: Cook Islands official recounts cyclone’s arrival in Rarotonga

Aitutaki has dodged a bullet after Tropical Cyclone Wati swept through the Southern Cook Islands as a Category 2 storm, leaving the island "relatively unscathed" despite damaging surges and howling winds.

While the early-season cyclone brought massive waves, knocked out power lines, and forced seven residents to evacuate stilt homes on the lagoon, local leaders report that the worst of the weather has now passed.

Puna Vano, Executive Officer of Tongareva, also known as Penrhyn, is currently in Rarotonga attending an EO Forum and described experiencing the classic "calm before the storm" overnight.

“There was a still period, you know, there wasn't much... wind and then all of a sudden it started to pick up,” Vano told PMN News. “And normally that's a sign before a storm hits.”

Vano said that while conditions outside remain rough, the rainfall is a welcome sight after a prolonged dry period across the island group.

“It's very choppy out in the ocean and quite windy, gusting at times,” he said, adding that “this is actually good for Rarotonga because Rarotonga has been very dry".

After forming in the Northern Group near Suwarrow, the Category 2 storm swept past Aitutaki before tracking southeast towards Mauke, Mangaia, and onwards to French Polynesia. Photo/Cook Islands Meteorological Service

While most islanders have taken precautions seriously, Vano warned that some residents were still slow to act.

“...the majority I would say are heeding to the warnings coming out. There are still some who take their time and not prepare themselves for such warnings.”

Aitutaki Mayor Nick Henry said the island had come through the storm remarkably well, even finding a bit of humor in the deluge following months of dry weather.

Aitutaki Mayor Nick Henry says the island came through Tropical Cyclone Wati "relatively unscathed." Local crews have been clearing roads, restoring power, and working to get the island completely back to normal within a week. Photo/CITV/file

“People have been praying for rain for months and our prayers were answered. We just didn’t expect it to come in the form of a cyclone … we’ve got to be more specific with our prayers,” Henry told Stuff.

TC Wati brought sustained winds of 100km/h and gusts up to 140km/h as it tracked south-southeast near Aitutaki before heading toward Mauke, Mangaia, and onwards to French Polynesia.

The Fiji Meteorological Service keeps storm and gale warnings active for parts of the Southern Group but conditions on Aitutaki are already improving as clean-up crews clear roads and restore remaining electricity lines.

Over the weekend, the community braced for impact as heavy ocean swells turned the usually clear, glassy lagoon into a surge of dirty water.

Holidaymakers and locals alike hunkered down inside as massive gusts tore through trees and sent waves crashing far past coastal properties.

New Zealand visitor Nastasha Lamont, who was staying on the island's west side for her mother’s 80th birthday, described the sheer force of the storm as it peaked.

Watch a video posted by a resident in Rarotonga on Cyclone Wati below.

“You could hear the wind, it was like nothing you've experienced before,” Lamont told Stuff, adding that rising lagoon waters kept everyone firmly indoors.

Fellow visitor Janine Robbins, staying in a bungalow on stilts along the western shore, recalled watching the sea rush under her property.

“The waves just started coming in closer and closer, and in the end they were crashing right up past our bungalow to the property behind us, so it was pretty full on,” Robbins told Stuff.

Despite the disruption, emergency teams managed power outages caused by falling tree branches while regular patrols cleared roadways to ensure access to the local hospital remained open.

Henry estimated it would take about a week to get Aitutaki completely back to normal, saying that while a local harbour project suffered a setback of several months, the storm brought unexpected ecological silver linings for the marine environment.

Listen to Puna Vano's full interview with PMN News Senior Reporter Khalia Strong below.

“There’s always a lot of benefits that come when you flush out a lagoon and you bring in millions of litres of ocean water,” Henry said. “There’ll be a lot of damaged coral but also with that brings new life. So there’s pros and cons of everything.”

With TC Wati pulling away into open waters, weather officials advise residents across the Southern Cook Islands to remain cautious around high tide until seas settle completely.