Cyclone Cook strikes New Zealand, felling trees and causing power failures

Warnings remain in place for Bay of Plenty region as cyclone bypasses Auckland but is expected over South Island on Friday

Cyclone Cook has struck New Zealand with power outages, fallen trees and landslides reported around much of the central and eastern North Island, which bore the brunt of the storm.

Cook, which forecasters feared could be the worst storm to strike New Zealand in decades, made landfall just after 6pm local time but by then many coastal villages were abandoned as five-metre swells combined with high tide and smashed against the deserted shoreline.