Cyclone Gabrielle February 2023

Various government agencies and news outlets have reported that Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle has formed off the coast of Northern Queensland, tracking near Norfolk Island with a high likelihood of making landfall on New Zealand’s North Island on Sunday, 12 February 2023.

Cyclone Gabrielle may escalate to a Category 3 cyclone with high winds and heavy rain. In any case, severe weather is forecast for these regions and may cause disruption to travel.

This cyclone event is now widely reported in the media, meaning any policies purchased after 9:30am AEDT on Thursday, 9 February 2023 will not provide cover for losses arising from Cyclone Gabrielle. This does not impact cover provided by policies purchased prior to this time, subject to the terms of the policy. 

If you're already travelling

If you’re a Travel Insurance Direct customer/traveller and require emergency assistance due to this event, please contact our Emergency Assistance team as soon as it’s practicable and safe to do so.

For the latest advice on travel in New Zealand, visit Smartraveller.

If you’re planning to travel in these regions

• for choosing to travel to or remain in a destination where there are Do Not Travel warnings in place.

If your travel plans are affected

If you need to change your travel arrangements, contact your airline, cruise company or travel agent for assistance in the first instance.

In the event you need to claim, you must do everything you can to minimise and reduce the cost of the claim and provide all supporting documentation of the event and expenses incurred. If you intend to submit a claim, please complete the claim form and if you need help doing this, contact us.

If you have any other queries, please get in touch.