Schools have closed early, roads are impassable and a person has been rescued from their flooded home as heavy rain drenches the upper North Island.
Scores of roads around Warkworth and Wellsford are closed, sections of State Highway 1 between Warkworth and Whangarei are under threat and farmland is starting to disappear under a murky pool of water.
At least four rural primary schools in the rain-affected region have closed early as more than 50mm of heavy rain has fallen across the region since 6pm yesterday.
The MetService warns another 90mm is expected to fall before 9pm.
Northern Fire Service shift manager Carren Larking said firefighters were called to save two people caught out by rapidly rising floodwaters. One stranded Wellsford resident could not get out of their Whangaripo Valley Rd property because of the height of the water.
Firefighters sandbagged the lower level of the inundated home and moved valuables to the second storey before the person was safely helped out of the waterlogged property.
A motorist called emergency services after being trapped by rising floodwaters on Waiteitei Rd, north of Wellsford. When fire crews arrived they found three abandoned vehicles on the submerged road.
Deep flooding on State Highway 16 at West Coast Rd between Kaukapakapa and Wellsford had made the road impassable.
The New Zealand Transport Agency said flooding has closed six roads around the Rodney District and others are passable but flooded.
A slip has closed Matakana Valley Rd and two slips were partially blocking lanes on Pakiri Rd.
Floodwaters were also affecting State Highway 1 at Dome Valley and Purewa, south of Whangarei.
WeatherWatch.co.nz warned plenty more rain is to come and flooding may get worse. Heavy rain was covering a narrow area from Great Barrier Island, north of Albany and south of Whangarei.
Motorists were advised to drive with extreme care and with lights on and watch for slips and flooding.
Farmers were advised to stay away from floodwaters and not to cross flooded highways or tracks.
Ahuroa School principal Michelle Nell said many pupils came from areas inundated by floodwaters and it was important parents could get their children home before roads were cut off. She said Tauhoa, Wellsford and Tomarata Primary schools had also closed.
Depending on the extent of the flooding the schools could also be closed tomorrow.
Chilly night for many
Overnight sub-zero temperatures were felt by many in South Island and the lower North Island overnight - the Mt Cook region was forecast to get as low as -8C.
Police warned motorists of icy conditions on roads around Wellington this morning and urged people to take care particularly in valleys and shaded areas.
Last night the Napier-Taupo Rd was opened to motorists four days after heavy snow hit Hawke's Bay.
NZTA highway manager Wayne Oldfield said crews had been hard at work since last Friday and were faced by one of the heaviest snowfalls in the region in recent years.
Six snow ploughs and "an army" of loaders had been used around the clock to tackle the snow.
Further south, no snow warnings were in place for alpine passes, but motorists in Canterbury were being warned to take care as frost was expected.
