Water and debris forced road closures and sodden holidaymakers were rescued from a flooded campsite as drenching rains and strong southerlies hit the east and south of the North Island today.
The Metservice issued severe weather warnings for Wellington, Wairarapa and the Hawke's Bay north of Napier this morning after some areas were doused by up to 100mm of rain in 24 hours.
High rainfall forced the closure of Paekakariki Hill Rd north of Wellington this afternoon, a slip and large trees blocking both lanes.
Police closed the road about 2pm and did not expect it to reopen until later tonight. Traffic was detoured via State Highway 1.
Police earlier reopened the Desert Road in the central North Island after slippery conditions closed SH1 between Waiouru and Rangipo last night.
Meanwhile, a group of campers were among those who bore the brunt of the bad weather when their campsite was flooded by a rising river on the south Wairarapa coast early today.
The group of about eight, including children and a man in a wheelchair, got into trouble when the Oterei River at Te Awaiti Bay, about 50km southeast of Martinborough, flooded about 4am.
Some of the campers made it to a nearby home to raise the alarm and local residents helped rescue the rest and put them up for the morning.
Rain drummed down at its heaviest this morning and was expected to ease tonight, MetService forecaster Gerard Barrow said.
He predicted another 30 to 40mm on top of what had already been recorded.
"It's mostly not great weather for campers, but it's good for the farmers."
The rain would be welcome relief in the Hawke's Bay, plagued by lower than average rainfall and drier than usual soil moisture levels over the past few months, Mr Barrow said.
MetService's latest forecast is for some more heavy falls about the hills and ranges in the Hawke's Bay, Wellington and Wairarapa tonight with a gradual easing tomorrow.
NZPA