New Zealanders are bracing themselves for what is anticipated to be one of the country's worst storms in years. Power authorities warn it could take most of Easter weekend before everyone has electricity.
Earlier on Thursday, forecasters were warning Cook could be in the same league as ex-Tropical Cyclone Giselle in 1968, which hit the whole country and resulted in the fatal Wahine ferry disaster which killed 53 people.
There is still heavy rain and some roads on New Zealand's South Island remain underwater, with flooding in roads around Christchurch.
People in low-lying areas of Tauranga were asked to evacuate before it got dark, Radio New Zealand reported.
Auckland escaped largely unscathed.
Authorities had earlier advised people in low elevations on the Coromandel Peninsula to evacuate to higher ground, as large waves were expected to batter the coast.
The military said it had placed 500 troops on standby to assist those affected, if required.
The weather has also disrupted flights across the country, with Air New Zealand suspending all flights in and out of Tauranga.
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The monster storm is expected to hit land tonight local time and move to the South Island early Friday morning.
Weather experts predict downpours will continue throughout the day, while precipitation could exceed 100 millimeters (4 inches) in some places.
Having battered the Bay of Plenty and Hawke's Bay, leaving homes flooded and without electricity, the remnants of Cyclone Cook are now heading south.
"We are watching very carefully, we're not through this yet", she said on Thursday evening.
Many people have been unable to return to their homes since then and authorities have been scrambling to shore up the breached levee.
The Meteorological service issued severe weather warnings for the upper North Island and warned of landslides, flooding and wind damage from gusts of up to 140 kilometres (93.2 miles) per hour.
"We're anxious", Tony Bonne, the mayor of Whakatane district, one of the areas expected to bear the brunt of the storm, said on local radio.
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