Wild weather is set to continue over Christmas Day, with NIWA warning a "tropical firehose" has been turned on New Zealand.
NIWA forecaster Chris Brandolino says some places in the Coromandel have received over 100mm of rainfall over the past day - and this is set to continue.
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"Unfortunately there is more rain on the way, we have rain expected throughout Christmas Eve and Christmas Eve night, and especially Christmas Day morning," he told Newshub on Monday.
"Over the next 24-36 hours a lot more rain is likely to fall. Amounts could be another 100mm, maybe more in some spots, particularly the Coromandel Peninsula and over towards the Bay of Plenty."
Campers in Waihi have already been forced to flee after campgrounds were flooded earlier on Monday, leaving trailers underwater.
Mr Brandolino says other parts of the North Island could also get hit by "significant rain", in particular the Northern and Auckland regions.
"There could be some localised problems there in terms of flooding and slips," he says.
"Could be some afternoon thunderstorms, so people planning for BBQs... while the morning may look favourable, the afternoon you may have to be dodging raindrops."
The king tide on Monday evening and Christmas Day will also pose problems, as above-normal sea levels combine with the rain to threaten coastal areas.
"In this example, what I think might happen is that as the king tide comes in Christmas Day morning, all that water trying to leave rivers and streams out into the ocean, it just gets backed up, it can't go because there's a kind tide pushing against it," he says.
If there's one place to be on Christmas Day, it's the South Island which will mostly escape unscathed.
"Unless people are in Nelson or Blenheim, north of Christchurch, that's where the weather is a bit wet," he says.
"Abel Tasman Park, areas like Golden Bay, they may get some heavier rain, but people in Dunedin and Queenstown, over towards Milford Sound, Invercargill, they're probably wondering what's all the fuss."
Newshub.
