Motiti Island residents are braving the weather at the northern tip of the island, counting the containers they can see heading towards them from the wreck of the Rena.

Rena is the 236m cargo vessel, which was carrying 1368 containers when last Wednesday it struck the Astrolabe Reef, about 7km from Motiti Island.

Containers from the Rena are heading towards Motiti Island. The geography is shown here on an 1853 British Admiralty Hydrographic chart.

Maritime New Zealand says about 70 containers may have been washed off the ship overnight during the storm.

Motiti Island resident Graham Hoete says he's seen one today already.

'I went down to the far end of the island, the northern end and I could see containers floating in the water towards Motiti Island,” says Graham.

'It was just the top of the container sticking out of the water. It wasn't the whole thing.

Like a big flat barge, it was a brown one I think.”

While Graham is fielding the media calls, his wife and friends have taken over container spotting.

They headed towards the island's northern tip a while ago with a notepad and pencil to record container sightings.

A helicopter flight will be needed to count and track the containers, says Graham, but they won't be flying until the weather clears.

'It's rough. You can't see far, and fog. You can't see the mainland,” says Graham.

The Rena appears to have survived the night in one piece, says Graham.

He caught a glimpse through the mist and fog this morning when he spotted the container.

'The crunch time will be at full tide tonight. That will be the crunch time when it starts hammering away again.”

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Rena photographed this morning. Image: NZDF.