Flooding has been reported in two West Coast towns as heavy rain and gales batter much of the South Island and lower North Island.
Metservice on Saturday issued heavy rain warnings for the West Coast, the Southern Alps and parts of Otago, Canterbury and Nelson.
Gales are also forecast for inland Canterbury, Marlborough, Wellington and Wairarapa.
Media are reporting that the roof of a house, previously damaged by a fire, has been blown off in north Canterbury.
Weatherwatch analyst Philip Duncan says there have been reports of flooding in Runanga and Dobson on the West Coast.
He says the heavy rain has shifted into the upper South Island and may not clear for some parts until Sunday morning.
"The band of rain is clearing in some parts of the West Coast but then we have heavy showers moving in," Mr Duncan said.
The main front is moving towards Cook Strait, Taranaki and the lower North Island.
In Wellington, severe gales are blowing across the city and surrounding regions with gusts over 100km/h in the city centre.
But it isn't all bad news, says Mr Duncan, with the windy weather boosting temperatures in many of the main centres, including Christchurch which recorded 19C on Saturday afternoon.
In Auckland, conditions have been calm, partly cloudy and mostly dry apart from a few brief drizzle patches around the middle of the day.
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