Rain continues to fall in Marlborough with a heavy rain watch in place for the region.
Heavy rain is expected to move up the east coast of the North Island tonight. Photo: 123RF
Both Marlborough and Wellington were hit heavily by rain overnight.
Marlborough residents had been warned to also expect a storm, but that's now been downgraded.
MetService meteorologist Amy Rossiter said some considerable rainfall was recorded last night.
"Some areas in Wellington recorded up to 20 millimetres in one hour. Our highest rate was Wainuiomata which in the last 24 hours recorded 99.6 millimetres of rain," Ms Rossiter said.
"Places like Lower Hutt and Miramar were about 50 millimetres in the last 24 hours."
She said MetService's system picked up 31.6 millimetres in Kaikōura, but it could have been more as there were not many recording stations where the rain was heaviest.
Up to 70 millimetres of rain is expected to fall around Kaikōura this afternoon and evening.
Ms Rossiter said the rain was expected to move up the east coast of the North Island, reaching Hawke's Bay at about 6pm today.
"We're still expecting some rain for those eastern areas, Marlborough up to Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay, but that should be easing off into Monday and we have a ridge of high pressure that is currently over the South Island that will the move up over into the North Island."
A watch is also in place for Hawke's Bay, mainly the coast and Wairoa district and eastern Wairarapa and Tararua district.
Heavy rain is also forecast for Wairoa, and eastern Wairarapa.
It's been the coldest weekend of the year so far, with temperatures below freezing this morning in both Wanaka and Queenstown.