Wet weather across central New Zealand has closed roads and forced the cancellation of a university graduation parade.
Victoria University this morning was forced to abandon today's graduation parade through Wellington streets because of the rain.
A night of intense wet weather has closed the highway between Renwick and St Arnaud because of flooding and many other roads around the top of the South Island are submerged or affected by slips.
Several motorists have needed rescuing after their vehicles became swamped in rising waters.
The most dramatic rescue happened about 3am when a house bus became stranded in a flooded river near Hope in the Tasman district.
A man had to be saved from his swamped mobile home by Coastguard in a surf lifesaving boat.
Police said there was bad flooding on SH6 near Rai Valley and near Renwick, outside of Blenheim.
They warned motorists to take extra care in the hazardous driving conditions.
Earlier, a ferry service across Wellington harbour was suddenly stopped by the worsening conditions and commuters were warned to wear gumboots when a train station flooded.
Victoria University posted on its Facebook page that even though the parade was cancelled, ceremonies would go ahead as planned at the Michael Fowler Centre.
The intense rain was expected to ease this afternoon but the country is bracing for a bitter cold snap in the next 24 hours.
The MetService has issued a range of alerts as heavy snow is due to fall as low as 400m across southern regions for the next two days.
Snow is expected to blanket Stewart Island, Fiordland, Southland, Clutha, Dunedin and parts of Central Otago.
At the same time gales are expected to pound central and southern New Zealand.
