The island's 2000 residents took advantage of calm conditions on Friday morning ahead of predicted gale-force winds with gusts of 140km/h.
"Everybody is hard at it at the moment," emergency controller George Plant told AAP.
"In times like this the community just gets together and does what's required."
From the information provided by the Bureau of Meteorology, Mr Plant said Gabrielle could cause some of the most severe weather the island residents had experienced.
The category three tropical cyclone is tracking towards the island, about 1440km east of Brisbane, and could weaken into a category two storm before it passes.
It was about 1300 kilometres northwest of Norfolk Island on Friday morning.
"The centre of the cyclone is likely to pass very close to Norfolk Island overnight Saturday night at category two intensity, and then move away during Sunday," The BOM said in its advice to island residents.
'Destructive winds with gusts to 140km/h are possible from Saturday afternoon to Sunday morning, although lighter winds are expected as the centre passes by.
"As the cyclone centre passes, destructive winds may ease for a short period of time, due to the eye of the system, before it suddenly picks up again, blowing from the opposite direction."
An emergency evacuation centre will be availabe on Saturday morning, and some rain is expected on Friday afternoon before winds pick up.
Seas are expected to be between five and severe metres, with peak waves possibly even higher.
"No one wants to go out in those sorts of seas," Mr Plant said.
Gabrielle is not directly affecting the Queensland coast, meteorologists said, but exposed eastern coastal areas could experience large waves and fresh to strong winds on Friday.
New Zealand's Met Service expects the cyclone to weaken to a tropical low before it reaches New Zealand's North Island with Northland and Auckland locals warned severe gales and rainfall totals of up to 200mm to 300mm are possible between Sunday and Tuesday.
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