 Severe Tropical Cyclone Waka ( Fiji Meteorological Service designation : 03F , Joint Typhoon Warning Center designation : 07P ) was one of the most destructive tropical cyclones ever to affect the South Pacific Kingdom of Tonga . Waka originated within the near @-@ equatorial trough in mid @-@ December 2001 , although the system remained disorganized for more than a week . The cyclone intensified into a severe tropical storm on January 3 , and Waka attained hurricane-force winds and the status of a severe tropical cyclone on January 5 . Waka turned northward and intensified further , and the storm attained its peak intensity with winds of 1