Weather set to ease now holiday's over

The heavy rain that has hammered the lower North Island and disrupted the plans of hundreds of travellers is expected to ease overnight.

The downpour and winds gusting to 150km/h in exposed places closed roads, felled trees and caused widespread surface flooding yesterday, keeping emergency services busy.

Large sea swells halted ferry crossings leaving Wellington, while cross-winds grounded planes at Wellington Airport, disrupting the travel plans of thousands.

MetService forecaster Rakesh Lal said conditions were expected to ease overnight.

"The amount of rain will drop, breaking up into showers and slowly clearing to the east by evening," he said. "The rainfall in Lower Hutt has been the kind of rainfall reserved for mountain areas like the Tararuas."

In the 24 hours to 5pm, 90mm of rain fell in Lower Hutt - about its monthly average - putting the Hutt City Council on flood alert.

Wellington had 45mm, almost as much as the 49mm recorded over all of Labour weekend, and had wind gusts up to 150km/h in exposed places. Police and firefighters were sent scrambling after a 20m by 30m billboard in central Wellington was blown loose from a building at 11.30am.

Surface flooding and slips hit parts of Wellington, Petone and the Wairarapa.

District councils and emergency services throughout the Wellington and Manawatu regions dealt with potholes, and fallen trees and power lines.

Auckland also had a wet day with isolated thunderstorms, but can expect a reprieve today with the weather becoming increasingly fine.