In addition to infrastructural and public losses, the environment was also severely affected; a native species of bat lost roughly 80% of its population due to the lack of fruit.

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

[1] In mid-December 2001, at the end of a Madden–Julian oscillation pulse, twin equatorial monsoonal troughs developed in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres.

[4] Unlike Faxai, the precursor to Cyclone Waka developed slowly, mainly because of moderate wind shear in the region.

[2] On two occasions, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert; however, the agency later canceled them both times.

[6] Tracking towards the southwest in response to a mid-level ridge to the southeast, the depression quickly intensified, attaining gale-force winds on December 29.

Shortly thereafter, the storm underwent rapid intensification;[2] roughly 24 hours after being named, Waka attained sustained winds of 120 km/h (75 mph).

[7] During December 30, the center of the storm brushed Wallis Island before turning towards the southeast and accelerating due to an approaching trough from the northwest.

[2] The JTWC assessed the storm to have attained similar one-minute sustained winds upon peaking; however, this was due to discrepancies between the two warning centers.

[2] Continuing into the new year, Waka gradually weakened on January 1, 2002, as it entered a less favorable region for tropical cyclones.

Moving over decreasing sea surface temperatures, Waka began to undergo an extratropical transition, which it completed on January 2.

The storm was last noted on January 6 near the Southern Ocean, about 2,200 km (1,400 mi) north-northwest of Antarctica, at which time it had a pressure of 972 mbar (972 hPa; 28.7 inHg).

On December 30, just a day before Waka passed through Tonga, warnings were issued for numerous islands, including parts of Fiji and Samoa.

[10] Owing to warnings from local media,[11] all New Year's Eve celebrations were canceled as residents and tourists boarded up their homes.

[18] Surveys by the Red Cross revealed that roughly 200 homes in the city were severely damaged or destroyed and those left standing lost their roofs.

The Insular Flying Fox (Pteropus tonganus), a native species of bat, suffered great losses from Waka.

[21] During the cyclone's formative stages, it brought significant winds and swells to Tokelau, resulting in localized flooding and crop damage.

[33] Rip currents also pulled 38 people out to sea in Mount Maunganui Main Beach; all were quickly rescued by lifeguards.

[34] Within a day of Cyclone Waka's passage in Tonga, the Government of New Zealand deployed an aircraft to survey the scale of damage and reestablish contact with the Tongan Islands.

[43] The main industry of Tonga, tourism, was devastated by the storm as no tourists were allowed to travel to the region for at least two weeks after Waka's passage.

[50] Owing to the severity of damage wrought by the cyclone, the World Meteorological Organization retired the name Waka following its using.