Mayhem on roads and flooding around houses marked the start of a weather system expected to intensify in many areas today.
A front south of New Zealand will whip up the west and north of the North Island today, WeatherWatch analyst Richard Green said.
Most arterial routes around Auckland were closed at some point yesterday during a spate of accidents blamed largely on heavy rain. "We've had multiple motor vehicle crashes, nose-to-tails," police Inspector Steve Kose said.
In Auckland, a three-car crash on the Auckland Harbour Bridge closed one northbound lane yesterday about 2pm.