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The New Zealand government is considering a national state of emergency, with tens of thousands of homes without power and Cyclone Gabrielle's worst still to come as the storm surges south.

First identified in the Coral Sea last week, Cyclone Gabrielle has travelled across the South Pacific to sit about 200km northeast of Auckland and is forecast to move close to the east coast in the next 24 hours.

Cyclone Gabrielle passed over the Australian territory of Norfolk Island on Saturday night as a category-two storm with gusts of up to 155km/h.

As it nears landfall in New Zealand, NZ meteorological agency MetService reported gusts of 163km/h at Channel Island, near the Coromandel Peninsula, on Monday morning.

In Auckland, where the worst of the weather is likely still to come, gusts have peaked at 133km/h on the northern beaches.

MetService has issued dozens of warnings across the country, including several red alerts, which it saves for only the most destructive weather.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins urged New Zealanders to avoid non-essential travel and bunker down.

"Things are likely to get worse before they get better with more rain and severe winds forecast," he said.

Mr Hipkins said conditions had not yet met the threshold for a national state of emergency, which has been declared just twice in New Zealand previously - for the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Key officials are meeting every four hours to consider the declaration.

At least seven regions - Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Hauraki, Coromandel, Opotiki and Tairawhiti - had declared regional emergencies by Monday afternoon.

In Auckland, the local emergency has been maintained since January 27, when New Zealand's biggest city endured its biggest 24-hour rainfall on record - 245mm.

The deluge brought widespread flooding, rendered hundreds of homes uninhabitable and killed four people.

With the clean-up unfinished, and other 150-250mm of rain forecast across the next three days, fears are held for more flooding and slips that could wipe out infrastructure and homes.

Elsewhere in New Zealand, localised reports of damage are streaming in.

All major roads in the Coromandel and Tairawhiti regions have been blocked due to slips or tree falls, with some localities receiving more than 100mm of rain before noon on Monday.

Homes were evacuated in Whakatane, Onepoto, Tolaga Bay and Whangarei, which received 184mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am Monday.

One man is feared dead after a report of a missing boat near Great Barrier Island, with a search deemed unsafe in hazardous conditions.

Emergency management officials confirmed 58,000 people were without power due to damaging winds, most in Northland.

Emergency services attended more than 220 wind-related call outs overnight.

"Roofs lifting off homes. Windows blown out. A couple of places where trees have fallen on houses. Lots of fallen trees on roads and bringing down powerlines," Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman Vaughan Mackereth said.

Air New Zealand cancelled all flights in and out of Auckland and a string of regional airports on Monday, with 45,000 customers.

Auckland ferries, trains and many inter-city buses were also cancelled.

Cook Strait ferries were cancelled in advance as bad weather tracks further south on Tuesday when the capital Wellington will encounter severe gales.

Cyclone Gabrielle's effects are likely to be felt across New Zealand until Wednesday, with tracking maps suggesting the storm will continue south to the Coromandel before heading east over the Bay of Plenty and Tairawhiti.

© AAP 2023

Australians Jordan Mailata and Arryn Siposs have been denied a slice of NFL history after Kansas City snatched a thrilling Super Bowl win from the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35.

Behind Jalen Hurts the Eagles dominated possession to lead by 10 at halftime and six at the final break in Phoenix, before season and game MVP and opposing quarterback Patrick Mahomes orchestrated a comeback for the Chiefs' second title in four years.

Left tackle Mailata and punter Siposs were the third and fourth Australians to feature in the NFL decider, seeking to become the first to play in a win after Ben Graham (Arizona, 2009) and Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco, 2020) both played on losing Super Bowl teams.

Jesse Williams won a Super Bowl ring with the Seattle Seahawks in 2014, but he was an injured reserve and he never made his NFL debut.

Mahomes passed for two of his three touchdowns in the fourth quarter, as Kansas City became just the second team in Super Bowl history to win after falling at least 10 points behind.

A Harrison Butker field goal with eight seconds left was the difference, incredibly earning the Chiefs an eighth-straight win in games they've trailed at three-quarter time.

Fringe NRL player Mailata took a chance in America five years ago despite never playing the game, while Siposs - elevated a day before the game off the injury list - played 28 AFL games for St Kilda between 2011-2015 before making the switch.

And the pair looked set to make history as the Eagles dominated the first half in Arizona, the 203cm and 166kg Mailata paving the way for Hurts to make some history of his own.

But the quarterback's record three rushing touch downs and 304 passing yards weren't enough, Mahomes returning on a ginger ankle to steal the moment.

Siposs had two punts for 86 metres, his first a 52-metre drop punt that proved awkward to return.

But his second fell short and relatively straight, allowing Kadarius Toney to dart off his left foot around a gang of tacklers and set off for a Super Bowl record 60-metre return that set up the go-ahead touchdown.

Hurts, who had earlier fumbled to gift the Chiefs a first-half TD, struck back with his third rushing touchdown to level the scores.

But, helped by a holding penalty, the Chiefs managed the clock and even passed up a touchdown before opting to kick, leaving the Eagles with just one play to concoct a miracle that didn't eventuate.

© AAP 2023

Jordan Mailata has lamented the state of a slippery Super Bowl playing surface after he and compatriot Arryn Siposs were denied a slice of NFL history in Arizona.

Philadelphia's 38-35 loss to Kansas City Chiefs at Phoenix's State Farm Stadium meant the wait for an active Australian Super Bowl champion continued, the Chiefs just the second team to overturn a 10-point deficit on the biggest stage.

A Harrison Butker field goal with eight seconds left was the difference, incredibly earning the Chiefs an eighth-straight win in games they've trailed at three-quarter time.

Left tackle Mailata and punter Siposs - playing his first game since an ankle injury in December - were the third and fourth Australians to feature in the NFL decider.

They join Ben Graham (Arizona, 2009) and Mitch Wishnowsky (San Francisco, 2020) on the runner-up list, Jesse Williams (Seattle 2014) the only Australian with a ring despite injury denying him a Super Bowl appearance.

Fringe NRL player Mailata took a chance in America five years ago despite never playing the game, while Siposs played 28 AFL games for St Kilda between 2011-2015 before making the switch.

And the pair looked set to make history as the Eagles dominated the first half, the 203cm and 166kg Mailata paving the way for quarterback Jalen Hurts to make some history of his own.

But the quarterback's record three rushing touchdowns and 304 passing yards weren't enough.

On a night where players struggled to keep their feet, Siposs had two punts for 95 yards.

His first was a 57-yard drop punt that proved awkward to return, but his second fell short and wide of the intended target.

That allowed Kadarius Toney to dart off his left foot, around a gang of special team tacklers, and set off for a Super Bowl record 60-yard return that led to the go-ahead touchdown.

Siposs eventually brought Toney to ground himself but felt the wrath of the passionate Philadelphia fan base for his shonky kick, while Mailata was among those to slam the playing conditions.

He said players from both sides had described the surface as "terrible" during the game and told reporters post-game "it was like playing on a water park".

"I'm not a grass expert, but it was pretty slippery," he said.

"If it's rainy, windy, it comes down to who can handle the conditions the best.

"We built a great brotherhood and that started with (coach Nick) Sirianni ... our locker room is a very tight knit group. I'm proud of the guys, man."

Behind Hurts the Eagles dominated possession to lead 24-14 at halftime and by six at the final break.

But, nursing a sore ankle, opposing quarterback Patrick Mahomes - the season and game MVP - passed for two of his three touchdowns to put the Chiefs clear.

After Siposs's blunder Hurts, who had earlier fumbled to gift Kansas City a first-half TD, struck back with his third rushing touchdown to level the scores.

But, helped by a holding penalty, the Chiefs managed the clock and even passed up a touchdown before opting to kick a field goal, leaving the Eagles with just one play to concoct a miracle that didn't eventuate.

© AAP 2023