Waka originated Coming_to_be within the near-equatorial trough in mid-December 2001 , although the system remained Presence disorganized for more than a week .

Subsequently , Waka underwent rapid intensification in which it attained Getting its peak intensity as a Category 4 severe tropical cyclone ( Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale ) on December 31 , with winds of 185 km/h ( 115 mph ) .

The remnants of Waka persisted for several more days and were last observed Perception_active near the Southern Ocean on January 6 .

Due to the severity of damage Damaging , the name Waka was later retired and replaced Change_of_leadership with Wiki .

According to a study by Janet Franklin et al. , storms Catastrophe similar in intensity to Waka , on average , strike Attack Tonga once every 33 years .