Heavy rain brings flash flooding

Surface flooding on Fanshawe St in Auckland. Photo / Sophie Ryan

Heavy rain has caused flash flooding in Cambridge, with water seeping into the Westpac bank and several homes in the Waikato town.

The bank on Victoria St had suffered "major flooding'' into its basement area, northern fire communications shift commander Scott Osmond said.

Fire crews were working to pump the rain water out of the building.

A number of homes in the town also experienced minor flooding, he said. Firefighters had helped residents to move their furniture and valuables to higher ground.

Earlier today, a downpour in Auckland this afternoon caused some surface flooding in the city centre.

Meanwhile, rain looks set to hit much of the country this weekend.

The "big fat high'' which has kept the country mostly fine and dry this week would begin to drift away over the coming days, "opening the door'' for more unpleasant weather systems to move in, the MetService said today.

Cloud and rain are expected in a number of places over the weekend.

"Instead of a new weather system just rolling in from the west, there will be a pincher effect with one low approaching from the east of the North Island, and a front moving over the southern half of the South Island this weekend,'' meteorologist Dan Corbett said.

"A prevailing southeast wind flow across the North Island, from the low to the east, will bring wet weather to eastern areas such as Gisborne and Hawkes Bay, but little or no rain further west. Far western regions, such as Waikato to Taumaranui, are expected to miss out entirely this weekend.''

The front in the south of the country is likely to bring rain from Fiordland up to Canterbury, while rain clouds will also be drawing closer to Wellington for the royal visit beginning on Monday, with thickening cloud and perhaps some drizzle.

"Don't forget to set your clocks back one hour on Saturday night for the end of daylight savings time,'' Mr Corbett also reminded people.