Forecasters are predicting a wild few days of weather, with wet conditions and severe thunderstorms on the horizon.
MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said on Thursday New Zealand was in for a showery rest of the week as a low-pressure system moved its way over the Tasman Sea.
The weather forecasting centre suggested sea breezes would also be strong, making the conditions ripe for thunderstorms.
"Given the weather scenario at hand, expect the wet weather to be localised - that means while one town might get an afternoon drenching, the next town down the road could stay completely dry," McInnes said in a statement.
Aaron Wilkinson, a senior forecaster at WeatherWatch, said downpours and thunderstorms would start in the North Island on Thursday afternoon.
"A risk exists for the South Island too but it is less," he said. "Risks continue on into Friday and Saturday too.
"Rainfall for New Zealand over the next seven days is looking average to wetter than average, western regions pick up the majority of any upcoming rain but eastern regions don't miss out totally."
MetService has issued severe thunderstorm watches for Waikato down to Wairarapa until at least 7pm on Thursday.
"From central Waikato to the central high country of the North Island, across to central Hawkes Bay and south to Wairarapa, some of these thunderstorms may become SEVERE this afternoon to early evening and produce localised downpours with intensities of 25 to 40 mm per hour," the forecaster warned on Thursday.
"Rainfall of this intensity can cause surface and/or flash flooding, especially in low-lying areas such as streams, rivers or narrow valleys, and may also lead to slips."
MetService said the Northland area could also be affected by heavy rain with possible thunderstorms until at least 10am on Friday.
It said the wild weather would make its way down New Zealand at the weekend, bringing more heavy rain to central parts of the country.
"For Nelson and the Tasman District, and northern and western Marlborough, there is associated low confidence for warning amounts of rain from Saturday to Tuesday; while about western and central areas of the North Island from Waikato to Manawatu and across to the central North Island high country, there is low confidence for warning amounts of rain from Saturday to Sunday, and also for the eastern Bay of Plenty from Sunday to Tuesday, and the Tararua Range during Monday and Tuesday."
