MetService meteorologist Lisa Murray said about 66mm had already fallen in Napier and Hastings and more than 50mm had fallen in Wairoa and Dannevirke last night.
During the day there were no major issues along the urban road network but last night the New Zealand Transport Agency released an area warning for flooding between Tangoio and Raupunga along SH2 and a hazard warning for flooding between Ellis-Wallace Rd and Waipunga Rd along SH5.
Seafield Rd in Bayview was also closed yesterday afternoon due to surface flooding.
Local fire crews also responded to a weather related incident as Havelock North resident James Lowry called about a leaking roof.
"I thought they might be able to put a tarpaulin up or something but unfortunately they said it was outside of their jurisdiction," he said.
Mr Lowry said it was difficult finding a roofer that was not busy due to the wet weather but his persistence was rewarded in the afternoon with a professional roofing solution.
The Vantage Hawke's Bay Festival of Hockey was also lucky escaping any major disruptions.
The Hawke's Bay Regional Sports Park turf was considered one of the best in the country for drainage so the international Hawke's Bay Cup was able to run as scheduled.
Australia defeated the US 3-1 and the Black Sticks won against Japan 1-0.
The Affiliate Tournament games held at Park Island weren't so lucky with the women's matches moved to the regional sports park yesterday morning and the men's delayed until late yesterday and early this morning.
As the men's matches were pushed back the games today had been re-scheduled to allow for rest time in between games.
Local producers were worse off as the rain interrupted the apple harvest and Te Mata Figs lost half of the volume expected from suppliers.
Pipfruit New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said many packhouse workers would receive a two-day weekend.
"It makes it a little bit more challenging to pick the fruit off the tree which then makes it challenging to keep the pack houses busy."
Apples were a robust fruit that could be picked in the rain but the welfare of pickers took precedence, he said.
Many would likely work on statutory holidays so the season can catch up "which will be a good win for workers".
"The last couple of days were great, we got some harvesting done, and after tomorrow it is looking pretty good too."
Te Mata Figs owner Murray Douglas said figs required a drought so rain was a big problem.
"One or two days in a row is not a problem - you just lose the [ripe] figs for that day - but when you get persistent bad weather with humidity it gives little time for the orchard to recover."
The rain causes figs to split and, if it was also humid, fungus takes hold.
Some fig varieties had not produced at all due the timing of the rain.
The wet weather also affected those on the water as the waka Te Matau a Maui battled its way into Napier Port after their two day voyage protesting seismic surveying off the East Coast.
The waka had been "pushed around" a bit entering Hawke's Bay and took about three hours to get to port after entering the Bay.
"They had some sunshine and no winds to southerlies and heavy rain - they had it all," Te Matau a Maui Voyaging Trust general manager Wayne MacGillivray said.
"But they handled it without any problems - they said it was a good sail".