The stern section of the Rena appears to have stabilised for the moment after it started sinking this morning.
It would take "another Cyclone Bola'' to prise the Rena's dislocated bow from its tight grasp on the Astrolabe Reef, the MetService says.
Tug boats have dragged two empty containers off the bow of the Rena as salvors find new ways to remove cargo from the increasingly hard-to-access wreck.
Improved weather conditions are assisting salvors as they assess containers onboard the stricken ship Rena.
The remains of a shark which washed up on Motiti Island in a distressed state have been sent for testing by iwi concerned about the effects of the oil dispersant used in the Rena spill.
About 500 of Rena's containers remain unaccounted for at sea. Some of the errant containers could potentially float away under water, resurfacing a long way from the wreck.
Divers are on standby at the broken ship Rena as they wait for the right sea conditions to inspect damage to the wreck.
Boaties in the Bay of Plenty should not head out on the water unless they have to as debris from the partly submerged Rena spreads further, the Bay of Plenty harbour master says.
Jagged steel and crushing waves have made it too dangerous for divers to assess the wrecked ship Rena.
A salvage expert says salvors face a nightmare as they try to recover not only the hundreds of containers still trapped in the submerged stern hold of Rena but the ship itself, when it inevitably sinks.
Battered and buffeted by high winds and big seas late last week, MV Rena, wrecked on the Astrolabe Reef, off the Bay of Plenty, finally split in two.
Waihi Beach has been closed after containers and debris from the stricken cargo ship Rena washed ashore and reports of people stealing the washed-up cargo.
Containers, milk powder and polystyrene debris have washed ashore this morning at Waihi Beach, 60km north of the Rena's grounding point near Tauranga.
Ferocious weather could make it too dangerous for salvors to approach the Rena if it breaks up in rough seas predicted for the weekend.
New charges have been laid against the captain and navigational watch officer in relation to the Rena grounding.
The Rena remained in a fragile state last night as forecasts of more bad weather renewed fears the ship may break apart.
Large swells and windy conditions have again put Rena container salvage operations on hold.
Rough weather and strong swells around the Astrolabe Reef have caused oil previously trapped under Rena to leak.
The cargo vessel Rena has survived another night, while the container removal efforts are steadily continuing, says Maritime New Zealand.
Twenty more containers were lifted from the Rena yesterday, bringing the total removed from the stricken ship to 116.