Gisborne Civil Defence EmergencyManagement said the army helped evacuate 24 people from Anaura Bay, 10 were evacuated from Te Araroa and six had to be evacuated from Mangatuna, north of Tolaga Bay - where the river has risen more than 5m in four hours.
East Cape Road is currently impassable thanks to a land slip, while fallen power lines have closed the Puketiti Road south of Te Puia.
In an update on its Facebook page, the Gisborne District Council said latest forecasts showed the swell threat to the area remained the same.
It said Tolaga Bay River was becoming an issue, and was likely to flood State Highway 35 at Mangatuna.
Earlier today, Gisborne Civil Defence spokesman Richard Steele said Gisborne had experienced heavy rain throughout most of of the night but "very little" wind.
"It's raining quite heavily in town and we are expecting the seas to start rising mid to late morning, which is our main area or concern. There is no flooding or road closures at this stage."
However, Hawkes Bay Emergency Management spokeswoman Helen Shea said the area had not had as much rain or wind overnight as initially predicted.
"It seems to have lost considerable power, so we might just get a stormy day.
"However, that could change as the day goes on and the cyclone moves further south, so we are just urging people to stay prepared and keep up to date with weather forecasts."
She said their biggest concern was heavy swells predicted for the east coast.
"We're expecting five to six metre waves and the big watch will be on areas such as Haumoana and Te Awanga."
She said Civil Defence staff had spoken to those who might be affected in these coastal communities yesterday.
"If the decision is made to evacuate then Civil Defence would work with them to do that."
Ms Shea said the Napier Port had been closed as a precaution, however, no schools had been closed in the area.
Meanwhile, hundreds of horses have been shifted to shelter as competitors in the country's biggest horse show hunker down with the approach of Cyclone Pam.
Organisers of the Farmlands Horse of the Year Show were working hard to avoid the spectre of loose horses and trampled people at the Hawke's Bay Showgrounds as the weather worsens.
Bay of Plenty
Around 200mm of rain is expected to accumulate about the Eastern Bay of Plenty. Rivers and streams will rise rapidly, and localised surface flooding and slips are likely as well as hazardous driving conditions.
Severe southeast gales are likely about the Bay of Plenty for much of Monday, with gusts of 120 km/h in exposed places, but 160 km/h or possibly more about the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Winds of this strength are likely to cause damage to trees and powerlines and could lift roofs and make for hazardous driving conditions.
Early reports indicate no significant damage from Cyclone Pam throughout the region overnight but the Bay of Plenty Civil Defence Group Emergency Coordination Centre says it will continue to monitor the situation.
Only 10mm of rain was recorded at the Tauranga Airport overnight but there was still a chance of strong winds of up to 120km/hr from about 8am to midday today.
Tauranga fire senior station officer Len Sabin said fire fighters spent all day Sunday preparing for the cyclone but had no call outs or incidents overnight.
Northland appears to have escaped the aftermath of Cyclone Pam largely unscathed.
Tony Phipps, group controller for the Northland Civil Defence Emergency Management Group, said as of 7.15am today officials had no reports of serious damage or injury.
Mr Phipps said Northland Regional Council figures showed the highest rainfall between yesterday afternoon and early this morning had been 67.5mm at Glenbervie, just east of Whangarei, while the maximum wind gust recorded at Cape Reinga yesterday had been 118.5km/h.
"Emergency services have reported a quiet night with few storm-related incidents, although daylight may reveal some damage that we are as-yet unaware of given the heavy seas off Northland's east coast overnight."
Mr Phipps said given the devastation and misery Pam had caused in the Pacific, Northland - which often bears the initial brunt of tropical cyclones that reach New Zealand - had been fortunate it had eased as predicted as it drew closer.
"Our thoughts are now with those in the Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Bay of Plenty areas which are expected to feel Pam's effects a bit more severely."
However, there were blackouts in the Far North, including around Kawakawa and Russell, as well as Opononi.
Crews expected to have things patched up sometime after midday.
Eighty-one households were still without power this morning after the region was battered by strong winds last night.
Vector said while the Auckland region experienced "gusty winds and some heavy bursts of rain" the number of customers affected was low. It said there were a total of 81 customers without power in Takatu. Power had been restored to Kumeu and Riverhead after many were without power throughout the night.
While power to most of these households has now been restored, vegetation has struck lines on Waiheke Island resulting in an outage near Oneroa affecting about 600 customers.
Auckland Civil Defence controller Clive Manley said residents in low lying areas of Whangaparaoa should have an emergency kit and be prepared to evacuate quickly.
A spokeswoman from Auckland Airport said some flights had been delayed and reshceduled this morning, including an Air New Zealand flight to Vanuatu's capital Port Vila.
All ferry services were cancelled from Gulf Harbour this morning, as well as a 6.15am sailing from Half Moon Bay.
