Heavy rain caused slips and downed power lines and trees in the Wanganui district yesterday.
More than 80 millimetres of rain has fallen in Wanganui since Monday, with 35mm on Thursday and a further 16mm up to 4pm yesterday.
A tree came down and took power and phone cables with it in Putiki at about 1.30pm.
A Ngaratua Road resident said she went out briefly and thought her house seemed "lighter" when she came home. After looking out the front window she realised the 50-year-old gum tree in her yard had come out of the sloped ground it stood in.
She thought it must have made a "rumble" when it fell.
Firefighters at the scene made the area safe while they waited for council and power authorities to arrive and deal with the problem.
Station officer Jes Sorensen said they made sure the tree would not slip any further.
Meanwhile contractors were hard at work clearing a number of slips along State Highway 3 near Ratana yesterday afternoon.
Two or three slips blocked lanes and a police officer was directing traffic while the slips were being dealt with.
Downers workers were also working their way around the city unblocking drains which had caused large puddles, some stretching across lanes in St John's Hill.
There were also reports of small slips on the road between Turakina and Marton.
Wanganui District Council had to close Kowhai Park playground yesterday afternoon because of contaminated water entering the area. The closure of the park to the public is unlikely to affect Sunday's Round The Bridges race.
The Whanganui River was expected to peak around 7m overnight at Pipiriki.
Showers are forecast for today, with showers clearing tomorrow morning.
Temperatures will be cooler than in recent weeks, with highs expected to be around 16C.