Drivers are being urged to take extra care on the roads after two cars became stranded in Coromandel floodwaters this morning.

Anamarie Ewins wants to deliver another sporting milestone for New Zealand and become the first woman to row solo across the Tasman.

Flooding is worsening on the Coromandel Peninsula, with rain warnings in place across much of the North Island.

MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the top half of the North Island.

Heavy rain has caused widespread flooding in Auckland, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty with one family trapped in their car having to be rescued by firefighters.

Plant business run by local identities and family home for sale.

Heavy rain and gales are expected to lash the main islands from tonight, with the MetService warning of one of the "bigger weather events" for some time.

Don't put the umbrellas away just yet. A storm bringing more heavy rain and winds is on its way to parts of the North Island.

Police have smashed a major methamphetamine ring on the Coromandel which they say will put a "serious dent" in the illegal drugs trade in the region.

The Coromandel is promising cheap RWC accommodation rates that will undercut Auckland packages reaching into the thousands.

A line of congestion 10km long north of Auckland and delays of up to 90 minutes elsewhere have hit NZ highways as traffic continues to build.