Cyclone Gabrielle: Surfers brave torrential waves in New Zealand

Surfers braved huge waves in New Zealand as Cyclone Gabrielle hit on Monday, 13 February.

New Zealand declared a state of emergency - only the third in the country’s history - over the extreme weather.

The cyclone has caused widespread flooding, landslides and huge ocean swells.

Residents, some of whom have been stranded on rooftops, have been evacuated.

“The severity and the breadth of the damage that we are seeing has not been experienced in a generation,” prime minister Chris Hipkins said.

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