A massive low from the Tasman Sea has brought wild weather to central parts of New Zealand, with heavy downpours and thunderstorms expected to continue throughout Wednesday afternoon.
It comes after MetService on Wednesday issued a severe thunderstorm watch for the Coromandel Peninsula, Waikato, Waitomo, Taumarunui, Bay of Plenty, Rotorua, Taupo, Hawke's Bay, Taranaki, and Taihape.
These live updates have finished.
9:20pm - Here's a reminder of the sewage overflow alerts issued by the New Plymouth District Council.
The public is asked to not swim or collect shellfish from Glen Avon, Te Henui, Ngāmotu Beach, and the Huatoki pumps or affected waterways until December 23, when the warning lifts.
9pm - As previously mentioned, Taranaki is in for some heavy rain overnight.
WeatherWatch forecasts nearly six millimetres will fall over the next hour, and throughout the night hourly rainfall will be between 0.6mm and 5mm.
This rain is forecast to stop on Thursday evening.
8:40pm - A heavy rain watch is currently in place overnight for Taranaki, specifically the area north of Eltham and the mountain.
MetService says while heavy rain has eased and the warning has lifted, a watch will remain in place since further rain is expected overnight.
These possible heavy falls could create issues for already sodden areas, it says, and rainfall accumulations may reach 'warning amounts' near the mountain.
8:20pm - A Te Awamutu local's photos show the extent heavy rain had on the Waikato town this afternoon.
Parts of the town flooded due to the pouring rain.
8pm - New Plymouth residents are warned to avoid contaminated beaches, rivers, and streams after this afternoon's heavy rain caused several sewage pump stations to overflow.
The city's mayor Neil Holdom said he wants locals to stay out of the water "for a few days".
"We've had sewage overflows at Ngamotu Beach, at the Te Henui pump station near East End Beach, at the Huatoki pump station in town and we've also had reports that the Waiwhakaiho River has overrun the pump station at Glen Avon," he told RNZ.
About 100 millimetres of rain fell in parts of Taranaki, causing surface flooding and streets to close.
7:45pm - Heavy rain was falling in Te Awamutu nearly an hour ago.
Locals reported a tornado ripping through the area this afternoon and the small town also experienced flash flooding.
7:30pm - The MetService national rain radar says moderate to heavy rain is still falling in the central North Island and the Bay of Plenty.
The lower North Island and upper South Island are also still feeling the aftermath of heavy rain.
5:25pm: Following the drama of a tornado sighting in Te Awamutu, another has been spotted in Waiuku, south of Auckland.
Local Brian Hamilton posted photos to Twitter showing a toppled tree and several destroyed garden fences. He says tiles of neighbours' roofs have also been blown off.
MetService said it will assess its radar to ascertain what happened in the area.
4:55pm: NIWA Weather says low pressure will be commonplace in New Zealand up until the end of spring, meaning it's unlikely we've seen the end of the unsettled conditions.
"What does that mean? Well, that periods of rain, wind, and variable temperatures are set to continue," the forecaster wrote on Twitter.
"There is an indication that conditions will settle down as we head into December."
4:25pm: Several Te Awamutu locals have now reported seeing a tornado rip through the area, with some saying it toppled trees, fences and powerlines.
Local Facebook users have posted images and videos of surface flooding, heavy downpours and hailstorms in the area, with one saying they saw a car's windscreen smashed by a large hail stone.
Te Awamutu Library has confirmed it has had to close due to the weather.
4:15pm: Tammy Lee, a retail assistant at Caroline Eve in Te Awamutu says there was a weather bomb earlier on Wednesday afternoon that forced the closure of their business.
"Lots of hail, lots and lots of rain, thunder, lightning - and the next minute it just flooded out the entire shop," she told Newshub.
"I'd just finished my lunch break, and we saw a little bit of water coming in from one of the walls, and the next minute it was all over the shop floor.
"There were hail stones that were like huge rectangles, 2cm [across]."
Lee and other Caroline Eve staff are currently assessing stock damage, and are unsure if they'll open on Thursday.
She said she knows of at least five other businesses that have also had to close due to flooding.
4pm: A Te Awamutu local has reported seeing a tornado travel down the town's main road.
Earlier, the south Waikato town experienced heavy downpours that caused flash flooding.
It's understood five or six shops on Alexandra St, in the town centre, have had to close in response. Fire and Emergency NZ are also helping residents with their flooded homes.
3:35pm: Earlier on Wednesday, roads in New Plymouth were forced to close due to flooding.
New Plymouth District Council has cordoned off Calvert Rd, Brougham St, Egmont Rd between Katere Rd and Henwood Rd, the Huatoki Plaza and Puke Ariki underpass.
Meanwhile State Highway 3 near Hawera, 30km south of the city, has been closed following a slip.
Sewage overflows in the region have also been reported, with public health warning signs put up at beaches.
3:20pm: The longer-term outlook sees the wet weather linger in the North Island until Thursday, before tracking toward the South Island before the weekend.
MetService has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for a large portion of the central North Island including Auckland.
The forecaster says downpours of 40mm/hour are possible, which would quickly cause surface flooding.
3:10pm: Taranaki has also been hit hard by downpours, with MetService saying its rainfall total in the last day alone is equivalent to the whole of November 2019.
"Parts of Taranaki have seen upwards of 100mm of rain in the 18 hours up to 11am - with rain rates as high as 33mm/hour," says MetService meteorologist Lewis Ferris.
"New Plymouth Airport received more rain in that period than the entirety of last November."
3:00pm: Te Awamutu has been besieged by rain in the last few hours, causing surface flooding in the Waikato township.
Much of southern Waikato has been struck by thunderstorms, which have been drifting down the country. WeatherWatch says other isolated thunderstorms from Auckland may hit north Waikato late this afternoon.
Calls have been flooding in to police.
