Aucklanders at the Windsor Park civil defence sand bag station, ahead of Cyclone Gabrielle.
Photo: Gill Bonnett
Auckland has run out of sand bags, but there is still plenty of sand, as Cyclone Gabrielle approaches Aotearoa.
The storm is due to track across Northland tomorrow before moving south to Auckland, Coromandel, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne, with warnings of strong winds, heavy rain and big seas.
There have been long queues at the city’s three sand bag stations as people try to protect their properties ahead of the cyclone, with tens of thousands of sandbags handed out this morning.
But anyone wanting them will now have to take their own containers.
RNZ reporter Gill Bonnett said a truck was tipping out sand at the North Shore’s Civil Defence sand bag station at Windsor Park, but there was disappointment for residents who were showing up.
“There were 21,000 that the Civil Defence officer said they had run through this morning so far, and the other two stations in Auckland are also out. They had a large stock but people obviously got the call to arms really early and they’ve been rushing here.”
Bonnett said there was now a long line of traffic trying to leave the North Shore sand bag station.
The sand bag station at Westgate has also run out of bags after handing out more than 30,000 today.
Long lines have also formed outside several Auckland supermarkets as people stock up on essential supplies.
You can find the latest advice from Civil Defence here.
The latest MetService warnings are here.
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