A Taranaki town was hit by tornadoes, ferry crossings over Cook Strait were cancelled and there are warnings of heavy snow on the Desert Road.
Photo: RNZ
A low is brought snow to the South, and rain, gales, lightning and tornadoes are hitting the North Island from the west, cutting power to thousands and ripping roofs off homes.
Follow RNZ's full coverage of the autumn storm here:
- Storm chaos: 'The house is almost completely blown over'
- Tornadoes severely damage North Island homes
- Region by region: What you need to know about the storm
- 'Very unusual': April snowfall surprises southerners
Earlier, tornadoes were spotted in Ōpunake and National Park Village, with Civil Defence reporting widespread damage including houses losing roofs.
At least nine schools in the area closed for the day due to the weather, and several flights in and out of New Plymouth were cancelled. All passenger ferry crossings across the Cook Strait have been cancelled.
Do you have any weather photos or videos to share? Send them to us: webnews@radionz.co.nz
See how the day devloped with RNZ's live blog: