KEY POINTS:
Wet weather is causing chaos for motorists with slips and flooding in the north and south of the country.
Minor land slips and an accident have closed part of the Manawatu Gorge, while there is flooding in Christchurch and a burst main in Wellington.
The crash in the Manawatu Gorge, involving a car and a truck, has closed State Highway 3 between Ashurst and Woodville.
Police have advised motorists to take alternative routes until the slips have been cleared.
Christchurch police said they had had several reports of flooding on roads around the city as well as slips on roads at the bottom of the Port Hills.
They urged motorists to drive with caution.
Several roads in the Wellington region are also flooded.
There is excess water on State Highway 2 around the bowling centre in Petone and at the Kennedy-Good Bridge in Lower Hutt.
Diversions are in place due to a burst water main on the corner of Dixon and Willis Streets in central Wellington.
The MetService has issued a heavy rain warning for Nelson, Richmond Ranges, the Marlborough sounds, Mt Taranaki and the Bay of Plenty.
But it said the rain should ease by 10am.
It said the front should clear the North Island by about 6pm and that heavy rain had already eased in Westland and Buller.
- NZHERALD STAFF
