Flooding on a street in Marton as the Tutaenui Stream rises. Photo: Supplied / Lequan Meihana
Firefighters in the Rangitikei district in the central North Island are helping to evacuate people living alongside a swollen stream.
The Rangitikei District Council had been considering whether to declare a state of emegency and its emergency operations centre has been activated.
However, by midday Mayor Andy Watson said it was appearing unlikely the state of emergency would need to be declared. The council was monitoring the situation, he said.
In a Facebook post, the council appealed to residents not to go out sight-seeing in the flood-hit areas and also not to remove traffic cones.
More severe weather is forecast and Rangitikei Mayor Andy Watson has asked people to take extra care.
"Please don't drive unnecessarily especially over our rural roads - they will be fragile.
"If you're driving through surface flooding in town, please keep your speed down. The bow wave from vehicles travelling through it makes the problem much much worse."
Photo: Rangitikei District Council
It comes as the central North Island has been hit by heavy rain overnight with some localised flooding and road closures.
The Manawatū-Whanganui region had significant rain with the Whanganui and Manawatū District Councils reporting localised flooding was blocking many roads, including in Feilding.
Marton District Council said some people living alongside the Tutaenui Stream were having to leave their homes and a welfare centre has been set up.
It said anyone in the town who needed to evacuate could go to Te Rūnanga o Ngā Wairiki Ngāti Apa at Henderson's Line. By midday four families had arrived.
The council said its main concern at the moment is the Tutaenui Stream and the Turakina River to the north and the local marae and the fire chief at Turakina Beach have been notified.
Fire and Emergency has been helping some Marton residents. Photo: Supplied / Lequan Meihana
Meanwhile, Whanganui Mayor Andrew Tripe said although there has been some flooding and slips in the area, the city has escaped any major problems.
Most of the issues were in rural areas.
The Wanganui River was running high but there were no concerns at the moment, however, it was unclear how much more water would flow into the catchments in the coming hours, he said.
MetService said this morning heavy rain and gales for northern and central New Zealand have now eased.
However, as roads have been affected by flooding and slips, police have asked people in central parts of the North Island to delay travel if possible.
State Highway 3 is closed between Warrengate Road and Whanganui.
State Highway 1 at Mangaweka, south of Taihape, has also been blocked by a slip.
Central District police have been responding to a number of weather-related callouts, and have warned motorists to slow down.
A number of vehicles have lost traction in floodwater on State Highway 1 at Taihape, and slips continue to be reported across the district.
Police said motorists should expect significant delays and consult Waka Kotahi's Journey Planner for the latest information.
Wet weather began affecting the North Island yesterday, closing the Auckland Harbour Bridge five times and cutting power in some regions.
There have been a few localised outages in Auckland as a result of the predicted strong winds.
The areas most impacted are in the western part of the region.
Vector said crews have been allocated to affected areas and were working to get the power restored as quickly and safely as possible.
People are advised to stay clear of any downed lines, treating them as live at all times.
PowerCo said on Saturday night about 4000 properties across Taranaki, Coromandel and the Bay of Plenty were without power.
MetService issued an orange strong wind warning for Gisborne and Hawke's Bay overnight, with gusts forecast to reach 120km an hour, which could damage trees and powerlines and make driving hazardous.
The Hawke's Bay warning lapsed at 4am while Gisborne's which applied until 8am today.