More wild weather today in wake of big soaking

The Nelson Tasman region has been deluged with heavy rain. Photo / Supplied

Thunder, showers and strong winds are expected to keep hitting the North Island today after heavy rain wreaked havoc yesterday, forcing road closures and safety warnings.

The deluge that swamped the Nelson area over the past two days moved north yesterday to soak Auckland and Northland, causing surface floods and washing over major roads and bridges.

Auckland had isolated incidents of road flooding, mainly in Glenfield on the North Shore. By 1pm the heavy rain had eased but a storm alert was still in place with predictions of up to 40mm of rain.

Emergency services were kept busy as the downpours hit between Kaeo and Kerikeri in the Far North.

The Kaeo River spilled over on to flood plains and farmland.

State Highway 1 at Rangiahau Bridge between Kaitaia and Ohaeawai was closed, as well as a section of SH10 near Kaeo after a high tide threatened to worsen surface flooding.

Emergency services also reported widespread surface flooding, reducing roads to one lane in places.

Northland Regional Council hydrologist Dale Hansen said some areas had had between 75mm and 125mm of rain overnight yesterday, on top of 50-70mm of rain in previous days.

Further south, Maritime New Zealand issued a strong wind warning for the Bay of Plenty.

Last night, severe weather warnings were still in place for Bay of Plenty and Tongariro. Residents were advised that rivers and streams are likely to rise rapidly.

A MetService forecast to midnight tonight included rain from Auckland to Kapiti, including the Bay of Plenty, clearing from the west.