Wellington's mayor has declared a state of emergency for the south coast, with homes in Breaker Bay ordered to evacuate.
Mayor Andy Foster said he was advised that houses on Breaker Bay Road between numbers 53 and 194 needed to have residents evacuated before the situation turned dangerous for residents and emergency services.
Advice from MetService and NIWA in the past few hours indicated southerly swells of 6m or more could present a significant risk to life and property if they overtopped areas alongside the south coast as they did in April 2020 and in 2013, he said.
Powerful waves, strong winds and snow have hit parts of the country, as a blast of Antarctic air pushes across Aotearoa.
Flights and ferries have been cancelled and schools were closed. The Desert Road remained closed early this afternoon, and snow warnings for the central North Island were set to remain in place until this evening.
MetService issued a warning for large swells on the capital's south coast for the 41 hours from 6am on Tuesday to 11pm on Wednesday.