KEY POINTS:
Officials were last night warning North Islanders to stay indoors as the region prepared to be drenched by another storm.
Heavy rain warnings were in place for much of the area and driving to work this morning was expected to be dangerous, with heavy rain causing flooded roads, overflowing rivers and high seas.
The front, moving from the east coast of the North Island, was due to swamp Northland with 150mm of rainfall overnight.
Late last night rain was heavy in most places but the forecast major drenching had not yet hit.
Preparations for an overnight deluge were in place. Civil Defence staff in the storm's bullseye - Northland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty, where three people lost their lives over the weekend in a separate storm - were on alert.
The AA Roadwatch website had issued warnings for all major highways in New Zealand. Schools in Northland closed early yesterday and some were not expected to open today in preparation for the deluge.
Meanwhile, power and hot water were still out in some Auckland areas last night after the weekend's storm.
Council district facilities general manager Alastair Wells said road maintenance crews yesterday cleared roadside drains to keep water flowing and prevent slips, but were unable to get around all the roads in the district affected by Saturday's floods.
"We are advising people to stay at home and not venture out on the roads unless they really have to. There is a possibility that motorists could become stranded by sudden, rapidly rising floodwater as they did last year."
John Owens, from the Kaeo Farm and Fuel Store, was putting up plywood boards over his windows. Last year the petrol station had endured knee-deep flooding. A customer, Monika Heid, filled up her gas bottle and stocked up on food because last year bad weather had trapped her at home for three days without supplies.
Kerikeri's historic Stone Store and Kemp House were expected to be at risk from floodwaters and the Far North District Council was working overtime to demolish a road bridge which causes flood waters to build up in the Kerikeri Basin.
MetService forecaster Bob Lake said flooding in Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty was likely from the up to 160mm of rain expected in the region's ranges from early today.
Environment Bay of Plenty staff were monitoring river levels and had advised farmers to move stock to higher ground.
Rivers and drainage group manager Ken Tarboton said the regional council was working with Whakatane District Council on flood prevention measures at the Whakatane River mouth. Staff were also in contact with the managers of the Aniwhenua and Matahina dams to monitor flow and increase water release to assist with managing water in catchments.
"We will be proactively monitoring our major rivers and have staff on standby to take action if it is required," Mr Tarboten said.
While Auckland was not expected to be hit as bad as other places, the region's Civil Defence advised motorists to keep their headlights on at all times and keep a safe distance from the car in front.
"The predicted path of the approaching storm indicates that while we are not expecting winds of the same intensity as at the weekend, we are expecting heavy rain on already saturated ground," said group controller Harry O'Rourke.
Rain across the region was expected to be heaviest last night and this morning.
- NZPA, Elizabeth Binning and James Ihaka
