A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for Rotorua, with people advised to watch out for threatening weather conditions.
Metservice has issued the watch for Rotorua and Bay of Plenty, as well as much of the upper North Island as an active frontal system approaches New Zealand.
There is a moderate risk of thunderstorms spreading to the Bay of Plenty overnight Friday and Saturday morning.
There is also a moderate risk that some of the thunderstorms could become severe for a time, producing localised downpours of 25 to 35mm/hr - which could cause flash flooding especially around low-lying areas like streams and rivers.
Driving conditions could also be hazardous with surface flooding and poor visibility in heavy rain.
