After passing slowly through Vanuatu, Ivy began accelerating to the southeast and its eye passed very close to the capital city of Port Vila, after moving over the island of Epi. As the cyclone moved away from the island group, it underwent an eyewall replacement cycle. In addition, the combination of cooler water temperatures, greater wind shear, less outflow, and land interaction with Vanuatu caused gradual weakening. Late on February 27, Ivy entered the area of warning responsibility of the Wellington Regional Specialized Meteorological Center. The convection rapidly diminished and left the circulation exposed, and Ivy transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on February 28. It remained strong and maintained a well-defined circulation as it passed just east of East Cape, New Zealand. Continuing southeastward, the extratropical remnants crossed the International Dateline on February 29, and Ivy dissipated about 1800 km (1100 mi) southeast of New Zealand on March 2.