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Declaration of state of emergency prompts New Zealand travel alert

A state of emergency has been extended to the entire Bay of Plenty in New Zealand, with up to 250mm of rain forecast for the sodden region over 48 hours.

A low pressure system followed by the tail end of Cyclone Cook are expected to bring heavy rain to the region, with a severe weather warning in place.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office updated its travel advice to say: “A state of local emergency has been declared in the Bay of Plenty region.

“Following severe flooding earlier this week further very heavy rain and high winds are forecast from now until Saturday morning for much of New Zealand.”

British travellers to the North Island of New Zealand in particular were urged to check local weather forecasts and take advice from local authorities.

The FCO also noted that the British High Commission offices in Wellington are temporarily closed due to earthquake damage and officials are operating from the Australian High Commission in the New Zealand capital.

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