The belt of torrential rain which has brought flooding and slips across northern New Zealand is currently mainly centred over the Waikato and Waitomo district.
But it is also reaching northern Taranaki and parts of the upper South Island.
A train was derailed in Te Puke due to heavy rain.
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Residents in already hard-hit areas like Auckland, Coromandel and Bay of Plenty are on watch for thunderstorms and more heavy rain.
MetService now says there could be heavy rain and thunderstorms as far south as the Marlborough Sounds and the Rai Valley as well as Tasman.
It has put in place heavy rain warnings for Auckland, Waikato, Waitomo, Mount Taranaki, Marlborough Sounds and Tasman northwest of Motueka.
In other developments:
- At least three people have died and one person is still missing after slips and heavy flooding in Auckland
- A train has derailed in Te Puke due to rain on the tracks.
- Auckland and now Waitomo are under a state of emergency
- Heavy rain has completely cut off Coromandel and hit Bay of Plenty overnight
- A house has collapsed in Tauranga but no injuries were reported.
- An Interislander ferry lost power in Cook Strait but managed to restart its engines and arrived in Wellington about 9pm on Saturday
Officials say people in immediate danger should call 111, keep an eye on social media, and evacuate to a nearby shelter if they need.
This article is republished under a community partnership agreement with RNZ.
⛈ Radar update: thunderstorm bringing heavy rain to Pukekohe
📡 Keep an eye on the radar at https://t.co/7k3nmeeZKF
ℹ Severe Weather info https://t.co/qHyE5zzql5 pic.twitter.com/F97wV6fpU9
— MetService (@MetService) January 28, 2023
