Some residents in the Whakatane area of Thornton are evacuating in the wake of flooding from ex-tropical cyclone Debbie.
Police are going door to door to make sure around 30 people have evacuated houses on East Bank Rd as the Rangitaiki River rises and threatens to flood.
In neighbouring Edgecumbe, the town submerged by the deluge, police will be on patrol tonight.
A barrier is being erected to stop residents going back home amid social media reports of looting taking place.
About 2000 residents had to flee this morning when the Rangitaiki burst through a stopbank sending water surging through homes.
The rains are also causing further disruption in Wellington tonight.
A large slip between Johnsonville and Churton Park has forced the closure of Middleton Road.
Access to other roads is also limited.
In Martinborough, SH53 Waihenga Bridge is closed because of flooding, with road users warned to take an alternative route.
Newstalk ZB reporter Dan Dalgety was at a local council emergency meeting where the decision was made to erect the barrier in Edgecumbe - and says there were reports on social media of people trying to loot evacuated houses in the town.
Police say the reports are ludicrous, but they will be performing regular patrols in the town throughout the night as well as putting up checkpoints on various streets, he reports.
Defence Force personnel in Unimogs, rescuers in jet boats, and emergency services led the mass evacuation in what the mayor described as a ''one-in-500-years'' event.
The Rangitaiki River is likely to stay at flood levels until tomorrow morning.
Further south, residents were earlier evacuated in a Wellington suburb after a stream burst its banks. It was happier news in Whanganui this morning as evacuated residents were able to start returning home after high tide.
However, Edgecumbe today resembled a scene from Waterworld with the local river pouring into neighbourhoods, in some places almost 2 metres deep and rising.
Mayor Tony Bonne said it was extremely serious.
