Heavy rain and gales are expected to hit northern regions later this week, ending a short reprieve from the worst of winter's weather.
A large but "fairly docile'' low moving in from the northern Tasman Sea could bring heavy rain, WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said.
"Between the incoming low from the north west and the higher air pressure over New Zealand we can expected gales to develop in some northern regions, especially coastal areas,'' he said.
"The wind is created between the high air pressure and the incoming low but the main feature does appear to be slow moving rain bands, which could cause flooding.''
Northland, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and East Cape were expected to bear the brunt of the heavy rain with some isolated thunderstorms possible on Thursday night and Friday morning.
