Thousands of homes are without power in the upper North Island and schools are closed in Coromandel as ex-cyclone Lola batters the region.
More than 4000 Northland homes are without power as high winds continue to cause damage to lines in the region.
Several schools in Coromandel are closed due to the strong winds and rain battering the region.
Tairua School and kindergarten are closed, with the schools saying on social media they are concerned about the safety of staff and students when travelling.
Mercury Bay school in Whitianga said it was advised to close by Civil Defence.
Coroglen, Te Rerenga, Whenuakite and Opoutere schools were among those that decided yesterday to close today as a precaution.
Coromandel and Northland recorded 100mm of rain overnight with Gisborne ranges getting 29mm in one hour.
Strong wind and heavy rain warnings and watches remain in place for Northland, the Coromandel Peninsula, parts of Gisborne Tai Rāwhiti and Auckland.
The orange heavy rain warning covers Ūawa Tolaga Bay. The area's civil defence controller Greg Shelton told Morning Report things were beginning to "pick up" and he expected conditions there to be worst from mid-afternoon into Monday night.
"We're definitely not out of the woods," he said. His team would remain on standby until midday on Tuesday but everyone was "just hunkering down and watching" for the time being.
The forecast rain was more of a worry for the area than the wind, he said, but he acknowledged things could change fast.
"Anything from the northeast, things can change pretty quick."
He asked local residents to stock up on supplies now if they needed to, but to otherwise stay at home until the weather system had passed.
"Our river levels are pretty kind at the moment; we've gone through a wet winter and a dry August ... and at the end of the day a lot of people welcome this type of rain, provided we don't get too much, to keep the growth going and top up the water tanks."
*If you have photos of the weather in your area you can send them to RNZ at iwitness@radionz.co.nz.
MetService recorded gusts of 130km/h in the upper North Island overnight
Strong wind caused damage to trees and power lines, Whangārei Mayor Vince Cocurullo said, though the rain hadn't been as bad as expected.
Power outages were widespread, with areas of Whangārei, Ruakākā, Parua Bay and towards Hikurangi losing lost supply.
"I have been getting feedback from different people around the community saying, you know that they've got trees across the road and things like that. So we're getting the contractors out there at the moment.
"As people are travelling and coming to school, the biggest thing I'm just asking people to do is just drive safely and just remember that the roads are a changing environment."
Auckland Harbour Bridge was operating with four lanes in each direction during Monday morning's peak and speed restrictions were expected, Waka Kotahi said.
Strong winds have also prompted Waka Kotahi to operate Auckland's Harbour Bridge at lower capacity.
