Auckland and other drought-stricken regions will be receiving more rain on Thursday, a balm to the parched landscape.
MetService has issued a number of weather warnings, including a heavy rain warning, severe thunderstorm and strong wind watch for the Coromandel Peninsula.
The New Zealand Transport Agency (NZTA) has a road closure in place on State Highway 25 near Prescott's Garage in Coromandel due to flooding.
Gisbone and the ranges of Hawke's Bay also have a heavy rain watch in place until 3pm on Friday.
Heavy rain will move south over the Hunua Ranges and water catchment dams in the "first true wet event this year" for many areas, according to WeatherWatch.
Throughout the day rain will slide further around Bay of Plenty, East Cape and Gisborne with heavy falls and a potential isolated thunderstorm or two, which could add heavier falls into the mix.
WeatherWatch is forecasting more downpours for northern and eastern regions of the country. By Monday a southerly change will appear which could ignite a local area of low pressure bringing more rain, the forecaster reports.
Winds over the east coast will move south over the next day, with some flurries forecast for over 100km/h in places.
This has been a positive week for a number of rural parts of the country with rain and mild temperatures combining, WeatherWatch said.
Northern farmers will enjoy mid-winter pasture growth in the northern half of the North Island too.
NZTA Auckland & Northland posted on Twitter warning motorists to stay safe on the roads, as the city of sails deals with wet weather.
"#AklTraffic conditions remain poor for motorists this morning. Please remember to slow down, keep your lights on and maintain a safe following distance."
