The storm which hammered Northland yesterday spread further south overnight, with heavy rain lashing the top of the North Island and winds gusting to 120km/h in the central and lower North Island.
It continued to cause disruption around the North Island throughout the day, with Taupo residents warned to stay indoors as wild weather knocked out power, sent debris flying and brought down trees.
Taranaki residents were also warned that weather conditions were unstable and anyone travelling around the area should be alert to debris lying on or blowing across the road.
The storm cut off Gisborne this morning, with almost all routes in and out of the district blocked by slips, trees or flooding for a couple of hours.
In flood-hit Northland, heavy rain and strong winds eased today after yesterday's storm dumped more than two months' worth of rain on some parts of the region.
Fast rising floodwaters meant trapped families and motorists had to be rescued after the storm began in the Far North early on Sunday and spread to the rest of the region by midnight.
But the bad weather has not ended, with WeatherWatch forecasting another period of torrential rain and gale force winds to hit Northland and Auckland tomorrow.
"This new low is rich in tropical moisture and brings yet again the threat for flooding, and this time flash flooding may also be an issue,'' WeatherWatch forecaster Philip Duncan said.
"The ground is already saturated and the rain band that's coming down may be faster moving but it also contains much heavier bands of rain.''
A few hours of torrential rain could lead to rapidly rising rivers and streams, Mr Duncan warned.
However, while Monday's downpour lasted 24 hours, this downpour would be "shorter and sharper'' and was expected to last only six hours .
MetService has issued a severe weather warning for much of the North Island.
Heavy rain was expected for Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Wairarapa tonight but severe southeast gales were expected to ease this evening in Taranaki, Taupo and the central North Island high country, Wellington and Horowhenua Kapiti Coast, MetService said.
Mr Duncan said tomorrow afternoon severe gales would build quickly in north-east Auckland and Northland, and then head south across Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, the Central Plateau and Taranaki, Mr Duncan warned.
Meanwhile, the New Zealand Transport Agency has reopened State Highway 1 in Northland, near Whakapara north of Hikurangi, after it was closed for several hours by floodwaters.
State Highway 12 remained closed at Maitahi Bridge north of Dargaville.
