A person had to be helped from a small shed blown over in Northland and occupants of a vehicle were helped from floodwaters near Murchison as a wet, wild weather system swept up the country overnight.
MetService said a large complex trough was moving over central New Zealand, bringing heavy rain, strong winds, and possible snow to the northern mountain passes of the South Island.
Several state highways on the West Coast were closed by flooding.
Fire and Emergency NZ was called to an Ahipara property about 3.17am today, after a small shed blew over and rolled so that its door was facing upwards, with a person inside.
In the South Island, occupants of a vehicle had to be helped from floodwaters on State Highway 6 north of Murchison overnight. Those in the vehicle were not trapped or injured, and crews assisted them before leaving the scene.
The rescues came as a system that soaked the upper South Island overnight pushed north over the North Island.
MetService meteorologist Dom Barry said Buller, Nelson and Tasman had received between 30 and 70 millimetres of rain since midday the previous day, with the heaviest falls around Buller and Nelson.
He said a rain warning for the region had since expired, but that did not mean conditions were clearing entirely.
"Just because there's no warning out, that doesn't mean that the rain will cease - it's just sort of easing as the day goes on," Barry said. "People still need to be mindful in that area in particular, where we saw the slips and whatnot yesterday."
Nelson recorded a gust of 53kmh, which Barry said was unusual for the area, while gusts of 113kmh were measured in the hills above Wellington overnight. The strongest conditions was through Wellington and the Cook Strait, he said.
Barry said the rain and wind battering the south would ease through the afternoon, but the system was spreading north and already affecting almost all of the North Island.
"That rain is spreading north and is already impacting just about all of the North Island right now, and that's going to continue throughout the day," he said.
Road closures
State Highway 6 is closed between Kawatiri and Murchison, according to the NZTA website.
Part of State Highway 6/Upper Buller Gorge Road near Inangahua is also closed by flooding between the intersections with Brown Creek Road and State Highway 69, with a detour available via Brown Creek Road.
An earlier flooding closure on State Highway 65 between O'Sullivans Bridge and Shenandoah has been extended to run from O'Sullivans Bridge to Springs Junction, and is expected to remain in place overnight.
A detour is available for southbound traffic via SH6 to Inangahua, left onto Brown Creek Road, left onto SH69 to Reefton, then left onto State Highway 7 to Springs Junction, with the reverse applying for northbound traffic.
Full list of weather warnings and watches
Heavy Rain Warning – Orange
The Tararua Range – 19 hours from 8pm Sunday to 3pm Monday
Heavy Rain Watch
Taranaki, about and north of Taranaki Maunga – 14 hours from 8pm Sunday to 10am Monday
The Ruahine Range – 18 hours from 3am to 9pm Monday
Whanganui and Manawatu north of Feilding – 8 hours from 4am to noon Monday
The south and east of Wellington, and Wairarapa away from the Tararua Range – 15 hours from 11pm Sunday to 2pm Monday
Strong Wind Watch
Nelson City to D’Urville Island – 7 hours from 4am to 11am Monday
Road Snowfall Warning
Lewis Pass (SH7) – 7 hours from 2am to 9am Monday
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