Rarotonga escaped the wrath of Cyclone Pat as it weakened yesterday, while the New Zealand Government was working with Cook Islands authorities to see if it is needed to help Aituktaki island recover from severe damage.
The Fiji Meteorological Service said last night it had cancelled the gale warnings for Rarotonga, Aitutaki and nearby smaller islands.
Tropical Cyclone Pat was weakening rapidly and moving further away from the southern Cooks, it said.
The cyclone battered Aitutaki early yesterday with winds of 75 knots, gusting to 100 knots and a state of disaster was declared.
The New Zealand Red Cross said up to 90 percent of houses on Aitutaki were reported to be severely damaged.
Phones, roads, electricity and air transport had all been disrupted.
New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) said last night that the cyclone had passed Rarotonga with limited impact reported.
"Tropical Cyclone Pat has weakened dramatically and continues to move away from the Cook Islands and into open waters," an MFAT spokesperson said.
"The New Zealand Government is monitoring the situation closely and is working with local authorities to assess the damage in Aitutaki.
"New Zealand stands-by ready to assist if required."
There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries in the Aitutaki area and no reports of any injured New Zealand visitors.
While power and communications links had been restored on Aitutaki by last night, they were intermittent.
The Red Cross has sent relief items including tarpaulins, satellite phones, candles, first aid kits and raincoats and had aid workers on standby to fly to the Cook Islands.
It was raising funds for the Cook Islands and people could donate on its website, at Red Cross offices or by mailing cheques.
It said people had offered different types of assistance, but it could only accept money as voluntary assistance, clothes or goods were not immediately helpful in this situation.
An Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) spokesman said on Aitutaki the villages Amuri and Arutanga, with a combined population of 400, on the northern side of the island were the worst hit.
So far only two people had been reported as injured and both were in a stable condition.
Cook Islands Tourism's New Zealand manager Chris Ingram said the island's resort hotels had sustained only minor damage as they were built to withstand the cyclone season, although guests appeared shaken.
