Flooding hit much of the lower North Island overnight, damaging homes and closing State Highway 1 until Sunday, and the heavy rain is set to continue.
Taranaki saw 300mm of rain about the mountain in the last 24 hours, with 140mm at North Egmont Village. Palmerston North and Whanganui both saw over 70mm, according to MetService.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) are advising against any non-essential travel on rural highways and to check their website for regular updates on road closures.
Heavy rain warnings have been released for the northern Tararuas and Horowhenua until this afternoon, with up to 70mm of rain still to come.
Another warning was in place for the Central High Country, which includes Tongariro and the headwaters of the Whanganui River, until this evening. 90-120mm was expected for the mountain ranges with 70-90mm elsewhere.
The heavy rain would slowly move north throughout the weekend, bring heavy rain to the eastern ranges of the Bay of Plenty and Raukumara Range in Gisborne until Sunday afternoon. 100-150mm of rain was expected to accumulate about the North Island.
"That rain band is moving up the country so Auckland, Northland and the Coromandel will see some heavy rain this afternoon," said Emma Blades of MetService.
COUNCIL CLOSES ROADS, ACTIVATES FLOOD GATES IN MANAWATŪ DISTRICT
Areas of Feilding and the Manawatū District have been affected by localised flooding, causing the closure of several roads in the district by the Manawatū District Council.
The Reids Line diversion flood gates have been also been activated.
The Awahuri-Feilding Road from the urban limit of Feilding has been closed, including access to Lees Road and Stewart Road.
Sandon Road, from Ranfurly Road to Lees Road, and Kawakawa Road, from Darragh Road to Awahuri-Feilding Road, have also been closed.
The intersection at Campbell and Waughs Roads near Newbury Line, commonly known as the Kung Fu Corner, has been closed by the Council.
At Ohakea, Fagan Road is closed and Halcombe Road, connecting Feilding and Halcombe is also closed.
Up-to-date road closures are being posted on the Manawatū District Council's website and Facebook page.
DAMAGED HOMES IN WHANGANUI
Whanganui police said they had spent much of the night dealing with flood and slip damaged homes, and were calling in extra staff.
Homes had been evacuated by the Red Cross in the Whanganui suburbs of Putiki, Aramoho, and Brunswick. State Highway 3 north of Whanganui was down to one lane, and the Whanganui River Road was closed.
"What we're telling people is to stay home if they can, to not drive around. If there is an emergency call 111," said Cass Alexander of the Wanganui District Council.
By Saturday morning the police and council were still fielding too many emergency callouts to have a handle on exactly how many homes were damaged.
Horowhenua, Manawatū, Whanganui and Taranaki councils had activated their emergency management centres, which included evacuation facilities.
STATE HIGHWAY 1 CLOSED 'TIL SUNDAY
A section of State Highway 1 between Ōtaki and Levin would likely be closed until Sunday afternoon after the Waikawa Stream Bridge was severely damaged.
Significant surface flooding and slips also closed a plethora of roads in the Kāpiti Coast Region, with between 40 and 80mm of rain falling in the last 24 hours.
The Manawatū Gorge on State Highway 3 was open but slips had damaged sections of it. NZTA advised against using it for any non-essential travel, and the Manawatū District Council had described it as closed on their Facebook page.
"We recognise that the diversion is a major inconvenience for travellers and the freight industry, and our contractors are working hard to get it safely reopened," said NZTA Regional Performance Manager Mark Owen.
"There's been a huge amount of rain, and it has caused the river to rise and wash away parts of the bank that the bridge relies on for support.
"Safety is our first priority, and we need to make sure the bridge is safe and secure before it reopens to traffic."
OTHER ROAD CLOSURES
State Highway 1 - Bulls to Hunterville, flooding south of Calico Line.
State Highway 3 - Bulls to Whanganui, flooding.
State Highway 3 - Patea to Hāwera, washout.
State Highway 53 - Featherston to Martinborough, Waihenga bridge closed due to rising river levels.
State Highway 54 - Vinegar Hill to Cheltenham, flooding.
Source: Stuff.co.nz and New Zealand Transport Agency
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