Norfolk Island was hit by the cyclone overnight, giving New Zealanders a glimpse of what to expect.
The community of just a few thousand people took shelter as the category two system passed over them, bringing rough seas, destructive winds and heavy rain.
"I have never seen it this bad, this windy," said one on-looker.
Another said he had seen waves "as big as this" before but had never experienced wind like it either.
Meteorologists described the cyclone as developing a scorpion tail 'sting jet', as it passed over Norfolk Island overnight.
Administrator, Eric Hutchinson, will inspect the territory later this morning.
"You would expect some damage to property and certainly power outages," said Hutchinson.
"The hospital is probably the other area that is probably at greatest risk.
"If we were to lose a roof on an accommodation house, we've got a shelter set up."
