A strong wind watch is in place for Coromandel until midday Thursday.
A significant low is moving across central New Zealand today and tomorrow, with the Cook Strait ferry services cancelled due to monster 7-metre swells.
Auckland and Northland expect rain and possible thunderstorms, while Gisborne also faces heavy rain and potential flooding.
Trees down
Emergency services have been called to several trees down in the region this morning.
A police spokesman said they had a report of a tree blocking State Highway 33 at Okere Falls about 9.30am.
“The road was blocked for a period of time, however (it) is now cleared,” he said.
Fire and Emergency NZ were called to a large tree blocking one lane on Takitimu Drive in Tauranga.
“We helped to slow traffic while waiting for contractors to arrive,” a spokesman said.
A tree was earlier blocking the eastbound lane of State Highway 30 at Lake Rotoma but was now clear.
Car damaged by rockfall in gorge
Motorists are being warned to prepare for anything on the roads after a car was damaged by a rockfall in the Karangahake Gorge.
A video posted by Pāeroa Towing Services on Facebook overnight showed the rockfall on the side of State Highway 2 after the service had been called to tow the damaged vehicle from the scene.
The rock damaged the underside of the vehicle and the bumper.
Over the past two days, heavy rain in the Karangahake Gorge had caused more rocks to slip onto the road, Pāeroa Towing Services owner Michael Small said when speaking to SunLive this morning.
“It is just a common occurrence at this time of year,” Small said.
As water runs down the bank, the mud gets exposed, dissolves, and rocks come tumbling down, he said.
Small said the road conditions on SH2 in the Karangahake Gorge can be challenging, with slips, floods, and crashes.
If drivers see a rock slip on to the road, they are advised to remove it from the highway if it is safe to do so, he said.
