Yesterday's wild weather in the lower North Island has been highlighted by an astonishing film recorded at Raumati Beach, around 50km north of Wellington.
Nicki Munford-Gibbs posted on the Wellington Severe Weather Reports Facebook page a video taken at high tide.
It was taken at 12.30pm from a pedestrian bridge at the Kapiti Coast beach.
State Highway 58, from Spinnaker Drive to Joseph Banks Drive, is closed due to rough conditions.
Source: 1 NEWS
It shows a tidal surge swamping the beach, going up on to a grassy verge and covering part of a car park.
The water then heads up a river.
"It was a little wild to say the least," Nicki Munford-Gibbs wrote.
The clip has had close to 1000 Facebook shares and generated dozens of comments.
Shirliz Gasca wrote that the surge "looks like a tsunami", while Nessie Allan posted "Oh my goodness, scary stuff".