Fire crews across the Bay of Plenty were kept busy overnight as wild weather battered the region.
As trees came down and debris was flung across roads, crews were called to about five separate weather-related incidents within 12 hours.
The Coromandel Penisula was hit the hardest, with roads closed and flooding.
State Highway 25 between Tairua and Hikuaui was closed as a result of flooding, with people describing the area as being "underwater".
The Kopu area had the largest amount of rainfall in the whole country, with a whopping 204mm within 24 hours.
The Thames-Coromandel District Council put out a morning update saying people should expect delays on the roads due to slips and flooding.
"As expected, we've been hit with some heavy wind and rain resulting in surface flooding and slips making driving conditions hazardous."
Stacey Lee Clarke, a Hikuai resident, posted on the Coromandel Peninsula Road Status Facebook group saying "water is coming in fast with high tide not until a bit later".
Another poster, Sandra Morris, described Hikuai as being "underwater" as a result of the heavy rain.
There were various slips and debris on the roads across the district, particularly on the Kopu-Hikuai and between Tairua-Whitianga.
Rangihau Rd in Coroglen was closed due to a large slip located roughly 5km up the road. It was not expected to be cleared until 3pm.
Tairua residents were asked to conserve water as the rivers were carrying a lot of sediment which means the water treatment plant has to work hard to treat the water.
"The volume of safe, clean drinking water that can be produced when the sediment load in the rivers is high, is lower than under normal circumstances."
Meanwhile, in the eastern Bay of Plenty, strong winds caused trees to fall across the road on State Highway 30.
A Fire and Emergency NZ spokesman said crews had been at the scene cleaning up for about an hour after the slip at 6.38am today.
He said a crew had also been tasked to a weather-related incident in Ōhope, where they spent over an hour helping an occupant after a door blew in.
More than 1000 Tauranga properties have been left without power as a result of the wild weather.
PowerCo reported that 819 properties in Bellevue and 649 properties in Oropi lost power around 12.30pm.
However, most of those had their power restored within an hour.
Initial indications were that a power transformer near the intersection of Bellevue Rd and Sereno Vista was damaged during adverse weather in the area.
Fault crews were working to get the power back on for the remaining 401 customers, with the current restoration time being 5pm.
The weather was looking to improve throughout the region tomorrow morning.
Both Rotorua and Tauranga were expecting showers in the morning, turning to fine in the afternoon.
The Rotorua law student who authored it says the support was 'overwhelming but inspiring'.