Emergency services worked through the night after a deluge of rain flooded parts of the Manawatū region.
Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Fire and Emergency had more than 35 callouts in the area from 7pm on Monday, mostly to water-related property damage.
Several streets in Fielding were closed overnight because of flooding.
Floodgates were closed to divert water from the town on to farmland.
Emergency teams are still assessing the extent of the flooding, Feilding mayor Helen Worboys said.
They would be checking roads in the north of the town, which are usually affected whenever the floodgates are closed, she said
A welfare centre was temporarily opened last night, but wasn't required.
"Our concern today will be in the southern part of the Manawatū district" - Helen Worboys
Heavy rain had eased and there were no evacuations overnight, but a number of properties had garages and sleepouts flooded, Worboys said.
"Our concern today will be in the southern part of the Manawatū district as that water down out of Feilding, further south."
This would usually affect Kopane and, further south, Bainesse and Rangiotu, where the stream flows, she said.
Drains became blocked in the heavy downpour, and council teams soon cleared them "but then of course the next lot of heavy rain came."
The rain is continuing today, and Warboys said people should to stay at home if possible. "If you need to go out on the roads, please take care."
A temporary 30km/h speed limit was in place on SH1 between Manakau and Ohau Bridge due to surface flooding.
There was still surface water in many places this morning, especially in Hunterville, and people were asked to drive carefully, Rangitikei District Council said in its 7.30am update.
"We have an atmospheric river of moisture coming down from New Caledonia" - Chris Brandolino
The deluge was brought by a "conveyor belt" of tropical moisture coming from the Pacific, NIWA meteorologist Chris Brandolino said, and more rain is on the way from a low pressure system over the next 24 hours.
Late tonight and through to tomorrow morning the Wellington region could get up to 100mm of rain, bringing a threat of flooding, he said.
Taranaki, Bay of Plenty, East Cape, Gisborne ranges and parts of the Waikato were also likely to have intense rainfall.
More settled, warm weather is forecast at Christmas, Brandalino said.