After a relatively calm week in terms of weather, most of the country is battening down the hatches as the wild weather spreads eastwards, moving into the North Island.
A powerful front is moving in from the west, bringing along with it a string of heavy rain and wind warnings.
The West Coast is in for a hammering of wet weather as the rain watch in Westland is upgraded to a warning south of Otira. Thunderstorms are a possibility with periods of heavy rain reaching up to 130 milimetres.
The lower Buller Gorge access to Westport along State Highway 6 remains closed after heavy rain overnight caused slips at both ends of the gorge at Uranium Point and at Inangahua.
The Eastern Bay of Plenty ranges, Taranaki, Tongariro National Park and the Kaimanawa Ranges can expect a further dumpings of rain as warnings remain in force.
Yet another 100 milimetres can be expected over Taranaki today on top of what has already fallen over the weekend, with a potential for thunderstorms.
There’s also a wind watch for Taranaki and the Tongariro National Park, with strong northerlies potentially turning into gales. The wind watch is also in place for Taihape and the Whanganui Hill Country.
The bad weather is settling in for the rest of the day for Tongariro National Park and Kaimanawa Ranges, with heavy rain up to 120 milimetres expecting to peak this afternoon.
Eastern Bay of Plenty should also prepare for up to 120 milimetres of rainfall starting later tonight.
In addition to this, watches have also been put in place with a potential for gales in Marlborough, Wellington, southern Waiparapa and Auckland.
Heavy rain watches continue for Northland, the hill country from Waitomo to Whanganui, the central high country, the Tararua Range, Kāpiti Coast and the northern hills of Wellington.
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