Flights were cancelled, hundreds of homes lost power, and roads were closed due to slips, fallen trees and flooding across the country on Tuesday.
Farmland flooding in Maramanui, Northland Photo: Sam Olley/RNZ
Heavy rain and strong wind warnings were in place for much of the country today.
A number of roads remained closed on Tuesday evening.
Among them, SH25 in Coromandel between Wharekaho and Kūaotunu - closed due to a slip.
Where roads were open, drivers should be alert to the dangers of surface water, rising river levels, rockfalls, fallen trees, and slips, Waka Kotahi journey manager Tresca Forrester said.
Find the latest road closure information here.
In Buller, some residents would be without power overnight due to what Buller Electricity said was an issue with a power line over the Karamea Bluff.
The wind needed to drop before it could be assessed by helicopter.
Several properties were damaged by the high winds and power went out for some time in Westland.
Burst sewer pipe in Seddon
Residents in Blenheim were told they shouldn't flush the toilet until after the 5pm high tide.
Heavy rainfall in Blenheim and a burst sewer pipe in Seddon put pressure on the sewerage network in Marlborough.
A flooded Taylor River in central Blenheim. Photo: Supplied / Marlborough District Council
Council staff had to wait for SH1 to reopen before being able to fix the problem.
Anyone who came into to contact with floodwaters was advised to wash thoroughly, especially before preparing food.
Marlborough District Council operations and maintenance engineer Stephen Rooney said surface water from flooding had made its way into the sewer network, which reached its maximum capacity on Tuesday.
Rooney said sewer overflows had occurred at in the gully traps at a number of residential properties and also at controlled points along the network.
"Once the surface water in the streets disperses and the sewer network comes back to normal, toilet flushing etc will be back to normal and in the meantime what we're asking folks to do is to only flush the toilet when they absolutely need to."
The council's rain report showed at 5pm 65.4mm of rain had fallen today in central Blenheim, 107.5mm in Flaxbourne and 109.5mm in Onamalutu.
Flooding around the clock tower in Seymour Square in Blenheim on 12 July 2022. Photo: Supplied / Marlborough District Council
In Seddon, a small stream burst its banks and broke a sewer pipe, causing the sewer network to fill up with flood water.
Crews were on their way to fix the pipe, but could not reach Seddon until State Highway 1 reopened.
Residents were told to assume all stormwater was contaminated and to wash thoroughly after coming into contact with floodwater, especially before preparing food.
In the Tasman District, wastewater overflows occurred in Ledger Avenue, Motueka, the Sunview Heights pump station and at Beach Road in Richmond as well as at the Māpua Rise pump station.
Rainfall data from the Tasman District Council shows in the 12 hours to 5pm, 102.4mm rain had fallen in Riwaka at the Tākaka Hill, 125.1mm at Waingaro in Golden Bay and 66mm in Motueka at Woodstock.
Selwyn Huts asked to evacuate
Canterbury was drenched by heavy rain, with flooding closing a number of roads across the region and in Christchurch city.
Fallen trees and a large slip closed SH1 at Puhoi, between Orewa & Warkworth. Photo: Twitter / Waka Kotahi
People who live at Selwyn Huts in Canterbury were asked to evacuate voluntarily because of the swollen Selwyn River.
Steady rain had been falling across the Canterbury plains, with snow in the high country, forcing the closure of a number of roads.
The regional council said the Selwyn River was rising to high flood levels and was expected to peak after dark.
Avonside Drive, Christchurch after heavy rain on 12 July 2022. Photo: RNZ / Nate McKinnon
Heavy snow
Sharlene McKinlay and her family live not far from the Aoraki mountain face looking towards Mueller Hut.
Today there was icicles dangling from their eaves.
"We can just see the vegetation over there so it's very much snowed in."
When word of the snow forecast reached them yesterday, they ducked down to the supermarket to ensure they were well stocked up.
Photo: Supplied / Sharlene McKinlay Photography
The road to Mt Cook was closed earlier today due to heavy snow.
McKinlay is a hobby photographer and has been out taking photos during the day.
"It's quite nice to share them with people around the country because it's quite a unique place to be."
Sharlene McKinlay's daughter in the snow at Aoraki/Mt Cook Photo: Supplied / Sharlene McKinlay Photography
Trampers rescued from fast-moving river
Some trampers were rescued after two got stuck on a rock in a fast-moving river in the Waikato Region this morning, amid heavy rain and wild weather.
Three people, two teenagers and an adult, were near the base of the Tuahu track in the Manawaru area.
Police said one tramper was on land and the other two were on a rock in the middle of the river.
A Land Search and Rescue helicopter winched the trampers out. None were injured.
Close watch being kept over flooding risks in Otago
Some North Otago farmland is expected to experience some low-lying flooding as the weather deteriorates.
MetService has issued an Orange heavy rain warning for up to 100mm for the region and Dunedin with rain falling as snow above 300m.
The Otago Regional Council said North Otago catchments, including the Kakanui River and the Gordon Road spillway along the Silver Stream near Mosgiel, might be triggered into action.
Duty Flood Officer Eve Bruhns said a close watch was being kept for possible coastal surges during high tides at 2pm and 2.30pm at Port Chalmers.
"There's still a lot of uncertainty around the extent of rain being expected."
Photo: RNZ / Tim Brown
Bruhns said travellers should consider whether they need to venture out and check the Waka Kotahi website for roading updates.
On the Silver Stream catchment, the initial council assessment suggested that there could be overflow at the Gordon Road spillway near Mosgiel in the early hours of tomorrow morning.
Some residents at the Gordon Road spillway near Mosgiel have been contacted as a precaution and Emergency Management Otago would speak with residents if there was any escalation in the forecast, she said.
In Dunedin, the Lindsay Creek channel in North East Valley and Water of Leith channel were expected to remain contained.
At Balclutha, peak flows on the Clutha River were not expected to go above 2000 cumecs which was significantly less than what was observed during the February 2020 floods.
"Flooding of low-lying areas adjacent to the river is likely but flows are expected to be well contained within the Lower Clutha Flood Protection and Drainage Scheme Floodbanks," she said.
The council's drainage networks in West and East Taieri and Tokomairiro were expected to flow quite full, she said.
"Specific attention will be given by the ORC's Flood Response Team to these areas and catchments as the predicted low could stall east of the South Island, resulting in further heavy rain," Bruhns said.
