Flooding has inundated parts of the Coromandel Peninsula as a tropical low moves south toward New Zealand, prompting a State of Emergency in the Thames‑Coromandel District.
Follow 1News live updates here.
Photos captured across the Coromandel Peninsula show roads underwater, surface flooding across residential areas and swollen waterways after intense rain set in early today.
MetService has issued red‑level heavy rain warnings — the highest possible alert — for the Coromandel Peninsula, warning the weather system poses a threat to life from dangerous river conditions, significant flooding and landslides.
Northland, the Bay of Plenty including Rotorua, and Gisborne north Tolaga Bay were also under red heavy rain warnings.
Residents have been urged to avoid floodwaters, limit travel and be prepared to evacuate at short notice if conditions worsen. Power and communications outages are also possible.
A State of Emergency has also been declared in Whangārei, the Hauraki District and the Bay of Plenty while large parts of the North Island remain under heavy rain and strong wind watches as the system continues to track south.
In all, nine districts have declared states of emergency, including six in the Bay of Plenty region.
The Coromandel suffered further troubles on Wednesday afternoon when State Highway 25A was blocked by a truck crash just after 2.15pm. "The driver has been seriously hurt," a police spokesperson said.
SHARE ME