wind speeds estimated at . During the next day, its eye became obscured after the mountains of New Caledonia affected Rewa's circulation by creating a hot and dry Foehn wind. The FMS reported that the system had weakened into a category 2 tropical cyclone, while the JTWC reported that Rewa had become a tropical storm. The system subsequently made landfall in the vicinity of Saint Vincent Bay on New Caledonia's south-western coast, before it emerged near Thio from the east coast during 6 January. By January 7, Rewa's circulation had become exposed under the influence of upper level north-westerlies; as a result both the FMS and JTWC reported that Rewa had weakened into a depression. Over the next 3 days, the residual low-level circulation was steered towards the northwest and Papua New Guinea in a southeasterly trade wind flow generated by a powerful area of high pressure located between New Zealand and Kermadec Islands. During 10 January, Rewa's remnants moved out of the South Pacific basin and back into the Australian region while starting to re-intensify into a tropical cyclone, as a mid to upper-level trough over eastern Australia increased in size. As it moved into the Australian region, Rewa began to move in a long arc to the northwest and then to the north, and on January 13, both the JTWC and the Papua New Guinea National Weather Service reported that the system had re-intensified into a tropical cyclone around Papua New Guinea's southern islands. Later that day, Rewa executed a sharp clockwise turn near Tagula Island and started to move towards the southeast and the BoM's area of responsibility while gradually intensifying further. During January 15, the BoM reported that the system had re-intensified into a category 3 severe tropical cyclone, while the JTWC reported that Rewa had become equivalent to a category 1 hurricane again. Later that day, the system started to rapidly intensify as an upper-level trough approached the system. During the next day the JTWC reported that the system had peaked with 1-minute sustained windspeeds of 230 km/h (145 mph). The BoM then reported later that day, that Rewa had peaked with 10-minute sustained windspeeds of 205 km/h (125 mph), which made it a category 5 severe tropical cyclone on the Australian tropical cyclone intensity scale. After it had peaked in intensity, the system recurved towards the south-southwest where it started to weaken gradually. By