Holidaymakers across Coromandel Peninsula are being warned to head home in the next few hours or risk being stranded ahead of an intense five-day storm set to slam the North Island summer hotspot.

The Thames-Coromandel District Council has posted an urgent message on social media ahead of the approaching storm, saying the potential impact is set to be worse than initially forecast.

At the same time Waikato Regional Council is bracing for the coming deluge with flood response teams “monitoring” rainfall and river levels across the region.

Campers are being warned to find somewhere secure or head home as the Coromandel Peninsula faces a prolonged storm. Photo/ Alan Gibson.

This morning MetService issued a severe weather warning for the peninsula with 24 hours of heavy rain, including torrential downpours tomorrow morning. The rain is expected to start falling from 3pm.

The region is also under a strong wind watch, with northeasterlies expected to be gale force in exposed places.

“Residents and holidaymakers are urged to make plans and act today before heavy rain and increasing gale-force, northeasterly winds arrive from late this afternoon,” the Thames-Coromandel council posted on Facebook.

Civil Defence Controller Garry Towler strongly advised everyone to err on the side of caution, and plan ahead to Sunday.

 “While there is still some uncertainty, five more days of northeasterly wind and rain on the Coromandel is likely to have a wide impact.

“So, we urge you to consider going to a safe, secure location, or even heading home today until the storm passes.

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“The accumulation of rain by Saturday could see surface flooding, slips, road closures and power issues, so it is worth hatching a plan today to ensure no one is stuck or isolated,” said Towler.

“It’s a prolonged rain event for the Coromandel Peninsula, and may result in streams and rivers rising rapidly, as well as surface flooding and slips,” warned the Waikato Regional Council.

The council said ahead of the approaching storm teams would be checking flood infrastructure in and around Te Aroha to ensure it was unaffected by this morning’s earthquake.

“At this stage, it appears all regional flood and drainage infrastructure is operating as it should,” said the council.

It was also advising people to secure any loose items now with winds set to ramp up across the region from 6pm, and last 24 hours.

This afternoon many holidaymakers appeared to have heeded the warning with a steady stream of traffic leaving the peninsula over the last few hours, while others headed to supermarkets to stock up ahead of the storm.

A number of weather warnings have been issued for parts of the North Island as heavy rain and strong winds with the Government forecaster today upgrading several weather watches to warnings in Auckland, the Coromandel, western Bay of Plenty and the Tasman area.

A strong wind orange warning has been issued in Auckland - including Great Barrier Island - effective from now until 3am tomorrow.

People are being advised of “severe gale” northeasterlies gusting up to 110km/h in exposed places of the city.

Such high winds usually see warnings for motorists on the Auckland Harbour Bridge.

The weather authority has also issued heavy rain warnings for Northland, Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty west of Matatā and Tasman northwest of Motueka.

The bad weather conditions far north have already resulted in campers abandoning their summer beachside camping holidays in the Far North and on the Coromandel after strong winds left tents and gazebos damaged.