Heavy rain continues to pelt NZ

Heavy rain has pelted New Zealand overnight and former Cyclone Tam is still lighting up weather warnings across many parts of the country.

Central New Zealand had the most rain overnight. Wellington recorded 31mm of rain in the first five hours of Easter Monday and more heavy rain forecast for the day.

MetService issued heavy rain alerts for large parts of the South Island - orange heavy rain warnings for parts of Tasman and North Canterbury; and yellow heavy rain watches for Buller, parts of Tasman, Marlborough, North Canterbury, Christchurch and Banks Peninsula.

⚡⚡🟡 A new Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued.

Stretching over large parts of inland North Island from Hawke's bay through to the Bay of Plenty, including the Tongariro National Park.

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— MetService (@MetService)

April 20, 2025

A yellow severe thunderstorm watch is also in place for Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupō, Gisborne, Hawke's Bay and Taihape, with forecasters warning the slow-moving weather system is likely to bring heavy rain, localised downpours, possible hail, and surface or flash flooding.

In Northland, torrential rain overnight caused a major slip on the Brynderwyn Hills, south of Whangārei.

Speed restrictions are in place on the Brynderwyns section of State Highway One, and Waka Kotahi has advised drivers to allow more time or consider delaying their journey. Last year, the road was closed for four months, due to slips.

Auckland on alert Sunday evening

West Auckland caught another quick lashing from a belt of thunderstorms on Sunday evening, when mobile alerts were sent out.

Firefighters attended eight weather callouts and reported flooding that affecting properties in the western suburbs of Titirangi and Green Bay.