In Auckland, the heavy rain stopped around 5am. Photo: UnSplash/ Nechama Lock
Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit much of the North Island overnight, receding as dawn broke.
In Auckland, the heavy rain stopped about 5am.
MetService said all North Island weather watches and warnings associated with the front - which brought heavy rain and strong winds overnight - had been lifted.
But strong westerlies persisted, with embedded fronts bringing rain to the lower South Island.
The forecaster on Sunday morning put in place an orange-level heavy rain warning for the headwaters of the Otago lakes and rivers, saying to expect 90 to 120mm of rain about the Main Divide, and 60 to 80mm within 15km farther east.
"Peak rates of 10 to 20mm/h expected this evening and overnight with thunderstorms possible, especially about the divide."
Streams and rivers could rise rapidly, MetService said, advising locals to clear drains and gutters, avoid low-lying areas and drive cautiously.
A strong wind warning was also in place for the Canterbury high country, including the Canterbury coast and plains south of Ashburton, and North Otago. Winds could reach up to 120km/h, with the potential to damage trees and powerlines, and possibly persist through to Tuesday.
Strong wind watches were also in place for Fiordland, Southland and Otago, and a heavy rain watch covered Fiordland.
In Northland, about 290 homes in the Raupo and Pouto areas were without power after lightning strikes. Northpower said engineers were working on the fault.
Vector's outage map showed unplanned cuts in the far north of the Auckland region, around Pakiri and Wellsford, and in eastern parts of Waiheke Island.
In Wellington there was surface flooding in the central city on Saturday night, but the rain had since stopped.
Fallen trees across State Highway 6 between Inangahua and Lower Buller Gorge on the West Coast forced it to close.
A power outage was planned for Westport around 11am to carry out emergency repairs after a lightning storm.