Heavy rain has been lashing Wellington, Taranaki and Nelson this morning as the main band of a front that battered the South Island this week now moves up the country. 

The worst of the rain is expected to begin hitting Central North Island High Country now and eastern Bay of Plenty overnight today - with both regions under heavy rain warnings. 

Heavy rain watches are also in place for Wellington, Taranaki, Gisborne and northern Hawke’s Bay and Northland. 

Southland and Queenstown remain under states of emergency after the heaviest one-day deluge of rain in 24 years battered Queenstown and brought flooding. 

Wellington, meanwhile, has been hit by constant rain this morning that is expected to last throughout the day. 

For the rest of the North Island, the heaviest falls are expected to be during the second half of today and tomorrow morning, MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor said. 

Motorists are urged to be careful as the weather disrupts what was expected to be a busy weekend on the roads due to the beginning of school holidays. 

“Significant and widespread impacts are possible,” O’Connor said. 

Weather warnings 

Waitomo and the Central North Island High Country up to Taupo are subject to a heavy rain warning last from 11am today through to 4am overnight, with 70mm-90mm possible. 

Bay of Plenty east of Opotiki is also subject to a heavy rain warning from 1am Sunday through to 3pm with 70-90mm. 

Elsewhere, powerful rainfall in Wellington and the Kapiti Coast this morning could approach “short-duration warning criteria”, MetService said. 

A second burst of heavy falls is also expected this evening. 

Heavy falls now hitting Taranaki are expected to last through to 1am tonight, while heavy falls should get to Bay of Plenty this evening and Northland in the early hours of Sunday. 

Weatherwatch.co.nz earlier said the rain is trapped between two very powerful high-pressure zones and one of those highs is also feeding in tropical air this weekend to the rain. 

Eastern Bay of Plenty and Tairāwhiti looked to be the most exposed to rain heavy enough to cause slips and localised flooding, the forecaster said. 

Its modelling showed more than 200mm of rain was expected to fall in the eastern region between now and Tuesday. 

By Sunday night, the front moves to the northeast of the North Island and becomes slow-moving. 

Slash debris thrusts Queenstown into state of emergency 

Queenstown Mayor Glyn Lewers told NewstalkZB this morning the worst of the weather is likely past and so long as the “rain stays away”, residents and emergency teams can get on with the clean-up. 

Up on the slopes, meanwhile, a fine dump of snow has been revealed on The Remarkables. 

“The storm has now passed and we ready to see you up here! What a day to start the school holidays on,” the snow report team has posted. 

Queenstown earlier recorded its wettest 24-hour period in 24 years, leading Lewers to declare a state of emergency for the region at 6.33am on Friday. 

It followed a state of emergency being declared across Southland on Thursday night as the region was battered by severe weather. 

In Queenstown, 87mm fell from 9am Thursday to 9am Friday, Niwa said. 

Heavy rain caused slips in the tourism town of Queenstown. Photo / George Heard 

Landslides and high floodwaters threatened some Queenstown homes and some residents had to be rescued from their cars overnight on Thursday. 

Up to 20 homes were evacuated and more than 100 people sought refuge overnight at the evacuation centre, the council said. 

On Saturday morning, Lewers said there were probably about a dozen homes that still cannot be occupied. 

He said his team is waiting for “clarification from the engineers” about the houses before letting residents back in. 

The clean-up of debris is now underway on Brecon and Reavers Sts, with the Queenstown council contractors pitching in along with teams from the Skyline tourism company, Lewers said. 

Queenstown councillor Matt Wong spoke of the “mess” on Queenstown’s Brecon St, where footage captured forestry slash debris washing through and blocking roads. 

“It looks like it happened about midnight. There was significant flooding that really brought the debris in through the township,” he told The Hits Southern Lakes Breakfast. 

A nearby cemetery appeared to have taken the brunt of the slip, Wong said. Logs and slash were scattered throughout the site. 

“I’ve never seen it like this in all my life. There’s going to be some difficult questions asked.” 

Emergency services were kept busy in Queenstown, helping residents deal with flooding and landslides. Photo / James Allan 

Gore boil water notice 

Southland residents are also busy recovering from the wild weather where a state of emergency remains in place following 100mm of rain falling across the province. 

The Gore District Council this morning issued a boil water notice for city inhabitants. 

“Our 3 Waters team has issued a boil water notice for Gore, effective immediately,” the council posted on its Facebook page. 

“The notice is precautionary after turbidity levels spiked at the Hilbre Avenue water treatment plant.” 

“The increase in particles in the water supply has been caused by discoloured flood water from the Mataura River entering the Jacobstown Well aquifer.” 

The council also said that high water concerns in the Mataura River had passed after it peaked at Gore and Mataura, and was starting to fall. 

Waka Kotahi NZTA for Otago and Southland said State Highway 6 from Haast to Makarora remained closed due to a slip while SH99 Wallacetown to SH6 is also closed due to flooding.