Seven-metre waves spotted near Bay of Islands as Cyclone Cody prepares to hit New Zealand

Seven-metre waves have been spotted near the Bay of Islands as Cyclone Cody prepares to hit New Zealand in the coming days. 

The cyclone is moving away from New Zealand, but its sting is still being felt here with seven-metre waves observed near the Bay of Islands on Saturday morning. 

Coastal communities are being warned even bigger waves could come.

It might look like fun and games but Cyclone Cody is still a force to be reckoned with. 

Mega waves arrived in the Bay of Islands on Saturday, which has seen many fishing charters cancel a weekend's worth of clients.

The cancellations mean a huge financial hit but it's the right decision.

"For me, safety is paramount on my boat," Ross Taylor from Target Charters tells Newshub. "You got to be comfortable, you got to have an enjoyable day out there. If you can't enjoy it, why be out there."

The warnings were no deterrent for swimmers venturing into the surf further south at Waipu.

Lifeguards on the east coast of the North Island are on high alert, with dangerous waves and swells moving as south as Wairarapa over the coming days.

"Strong currents, strong rips will be formed with this large surf this weekend and into early next week," Surf Life Saving northern region operations manager James Lea tells Newshub. 

This map shows what is happening. The colour red indicates the biggest waves. 

"That seven-metre mark could be about the highest that we see but there still could be those rogue waves that get even larger," MetService operations manager Lewis Ferris tells Newshub. 

With the death toll on our beaches alarmingly high this summer, the public's being asked to be vigilant near the water.

"Especially your young ones around the coast, there's going to be some big sweepers up the beach so really keeping an eye on your children all the time," Lea says. 

The impact of Cyclone Cody on land will likely not be as bad as expected with the centre of the cyclone tracking east and moving away from New Zealand. 

"That is going to be good news in terms of lessening the effects of severe weather but bad news for drier parts of the North Island that were hoping for a little top-up of the water tanks," Ferris says. 

The East Cape will bear the brunt of whatever Cyclone Cody throws our way with heavy rain and strong wind forecast on Monday.

But it's the large waves being seen here already, that could cause the most damage.

Watch the full story above.