Also in the Cook Islands, the southern island of Mangaia has been hit by its worst flooding for almost 50 years.

Four days of heavy rain and high winds brought on by Cyclone Trina left parts of Mangaia under two metres of water.

Much of the island's livestock is feared drowned ... roads have been washed away ... landslides have been reported ... and some villages are experiencing problems with their water supply.

Local media quoted eyewitnesses as saying the seas around the island turned red at one point, because of the amount of soil being washed into the ocean.

Despite the flooding and winds as high as 130 kilometres an hour, everyone on Mangaia has been accounted for.

=A9 2001 Australian Broadcasting Corporation