Families battened down last night as the category four cyclone descended around midnight, packing winds of up to 200 kilometres an hour.
Nuku'alofa resident and former Tongan MP Sitiveni Halapua, who lives two kilometres from the wharf, says it's the worst cyclone he's ever experienced.
"The wind changed directions from the south to the western side and it was so strong," he says. "We couldn't see anything. All we could hear was the roaring and trees breaking and rooftops flying and we could hear the corrugated iron."
