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The storm wreaking havoc across the country has been described as worse than Cyclone Bola.
"Wind bursts" have torn roofs off houses in Picton and Te Awamutu as high winds and heavy rains continue to lash the country.
The strong winds follow heavy rain overnight which brought flooding and slips to much of the top half of the North Island, particularly in Waikato and Bay of Plenty, closing several roads.
Te Awamutu is one area taking a battering from the extreme gusts of wind, with deputy fire station officer Murray Gillard describing it as more severe than the destructive 1988 Cyclone Bola.
"Anything that's not tied down is blown away," he told Newstalk ZB.
"I've been in the brigade when Cyclone Bola came through, and I think this one's a bit worse than Bola because we've had more calls with this one."
Mr Gillard said many people walking around do not realise the damage and dangers of flying timber and iron.
The roofs of three houses in the Picton suburb of Waikawa have been blown off by what the fire service described as a "small tornado".
Emergency services were called by a resident whose house was damaged by strong winds described as a tornado at about 10am.
Fire Service southern communications spokesman John Goodliffe said fire crews found three roofs had been blown off houses into neighbouring properties.
They worked together with builders and police to waterproof the houses with tarpaulins, he said.
Similar "mini tornadoes" were also witnessed tearing up trees in Te Awamutu, but MetService weather ambassador Bob McDavitt said they were actually "wind gusts".
"Strong winds from the southeast are rare, and gusts of around 120 km/h are strong enough to damage trees and power lines, especially about the central North Island forests," he said.
"These gusts come to the ground in bursts - that's what they do. They've got the potential to take roofs off houses and cause damage."
Mr McDavitt said there are no thunderstorms, which are required for tornadoes, in the current system.
MetService has issued severe weather warnings for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay for tonight and tomorrow.
"These warnings are the result of a strong southeast flow lying sandwiched between a slow moving low close to Auckland and a large intense high over the South Island," Mr McDavitt said.
Further rain was forecast for Gisborne and Hawkes Bay through tomorrow and Thursday, MetService said, with 150 to 200mm of rain expected today in the ranges of Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.
Mr McDavitt said the wind would be particularly strong from the Bay of Plenty down through the centre of the country to the Kapiti Coast.
Power outages
Meanwhile crews are working frantically in hazardous conditions to restore power across the North Island.
More than 1100 customers in the Taupo and Rotorua regions are without electricity as high winds and heavy rain batter the island.
Unison Customer Relations Manager Danny Gough told Newstalk ZB there are numerous faults on the network, as well as fallen trees bringing power lines down.
"It is proving a challenge for us and we do have hundreds of customers without power at this point in time," Mr Gough said.
"However we do have all available crews out in the field working in very trying conditions trying to get power restored as quickly and as safely as possible."
Power has also been out across the Waipa District, with reports of cuts in Cambridge, Te Awamutu and Kihihihi.
Surface flooding, roads blocked
Emergency crews and power companies have had a busy night with surface flooding, slips and downed power lines blocking roads around the North Island.
A slip between Wellington and Masterton has also cancelled train services along the line, which will be replaced by buses.
Fire Service spokesman Scott Osmond said crews had been called out to about 10 incidents of flooding around the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions this morning.
He said there is no significant damage in the regions and no major inundation of homes.
Inspector Shawn Rutene of the police northern communications centre said flooding and slips were causing great difficulty on roads near Whitianga, Huntly, Ngaruawahia, Waihi, Matamata, and further south near Taupo.
Police had earlier reported slips blocking Belk Road North at Omanawa, 10km southwest of Tauranga, and at Muriwai Terrace in Whakatane.
Mr Rutene said drivers should consider delaying trips on State Highway 25 just south of Whitianga between Wade Rd and the 309 Rd, where surface flooding covered nearly half the road.
"We are requesting that the public only travel if they need to, and if they do, they should take extreme caution," he said.
Further south on State Highway 25, there were reports of rocks "as big as a dinner plate" on the road near Waihi, Mr Rutene said.
There is also surface flooding on SH25 at Te Rerenga, although the road remains passable.
Roads in Huntly were blocked, and flooding caused one vehicle to veer left on a bridge at Taihoa, near Matamata.
Downed trees and power lines are reported across SH5 around 20km north of Taupo, completely blocking the road.
Near Hamilton, Waingaro and Elgood roads in Glen Massey are closed due to flooding.
Rocks have also slipped on SH2, south of Mimiha Rd, Matata, and caution is advised.
Slips were also causing havoc in the Tahorakuri Forest area near Taupo.
"The main thing is to drive to the conditions if they do need to drive, and if possible they should think about stopping, having a cup of tea and waiting it out."
Wild weather to stick around
A severe weather warning had been issued for Northland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Gisborne and Hawkes Bay tonight and tomorrow.
Further rain was forecast for Gisborne and Hawkes Bay through tomorrow and Thursday, MetService said, with 150 to 200mm of rain expected today in the ranges of Gisborne and Hawkes Bay.
MetService forecaster Oliver Druce said southeast winds had been predicted to strengthen over much of the North Island this morning.
Gales are expected in many places, with severe gale gusts of 120km/h or 130km/h likely in places from eastern Bay of Plenty over the central high country to Taranaki, Wanganui and Manawatu and Kapiti Coast.
He said people should watch out for localised flooding, with rivers and streams likely to rise rapidly once the heavy rain sets in.
"Winds of this strength can damage trees and power lines, and make driving hazardous."
Heavy rain warnings have been lifted for Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel Peninsula.
Weather Watch chief analyst Philip Duncan said low after low will be formed in the north Tasman Sea and Coral Sea areas.
This combined with high pressure to the east and south of the North Island means long periods of heavy rain are extremely likely.
"The set-up over the next 10 days also puts Taranaki and other central western areas of the country in the squash zone between low and high pressure - in other words, where the isobars will bunch up bringing strong winds at times from the easterly quarter," Mr Duncan said.
Despite a brief cold snap in the South Island yesterday, Mr Duncan said most of New Zealand would have temperatures above average, particularly at night, in the coming week.
