Family rescued in Wellsford as storm bashes upper North Island

A man and his child were rescued after being left clinging to a fence in the most dramatic incident following stormy weather in the top half of the North Island overnight.

The man's wife and daughter also escaped following the incident near Wellsford, about 115km north of Auckland.

Inspector Kerry Watson of the police northern communications centre said emergency services were called about 3.20am after the family's car was swept away from Tomarata Valley Rd.

The mother and baby daughter managed to escape from the car, which was reportedly in a drain with only the boot above water, and the father and another child were left clinging to a fence.

Local farmer Chris Brien used his tractor to get to the couple and a passer-by rescued the pair while standing in the tractor's bucket, National Radio reported.

The road is currently closed.

The incident followed heavy rain, which the Fire Service said resulted in a house being threatened by a slip in Devonport on Auckland's North Shore.

Also on the North Shore, flooding had made Sunnyside Road and Green Road in Dairy Flat near Whangaparaoa impassable, a pine tree was threatening Riverhead Road in Kumeu, and traffic lights were out in Upper Harbour Drive and the Glenfield-Sunset Road intersection.

Further north, Waiteitei Road in Mangawhai was affected by extensive flooding and slips were blocking Doctors Hill Road in Ruakaka and a road just north of Kawakawa.

Auckland City had escaped much of the issue, though the bad weather had resulted in traffic lights going out on Pakuranga Road in south Auckland.

The heavy rain has since moved on to Coromandel and Waikato, where police are warning people to take care.

Matamata police say several trees have fallen near roads and that motorists should drive with caution in areas around the Kaimai ranges, between Matamata and Tauranga, and one house in Te Aroha lost a roof.

In Coromandel, State Highway 25 south of Whitianga is covered by 60cm of water and is passable only to 4WD vehicles.

Heavy rain was affecting much of the area in the top half of the North Island, with MetService saying much of the area from Northland to Mt Taranaki could get between 30mm and 50mm of rain.

MetService this morning said there was a risk of severe gales from Coromandel Peninsula to Gisborne, though the winds "should remain below warning criteria".

It also said the South Island could be affected, saying there could be heavy rain on the Kaikoura Coast and northwest Nelson and possibly some snow in Canterbury.

- NZPA