The big wet has arrived with a vengeance, and it's not done with New Zealand yet.
Today, much of the upper North Island copped the worst of it: homes were flooded, landslips caused heartache, roads and schools closed, public transport was disrupted and many residents were simply told to stay home as the tail of deadly Cyclone Debbie lashed the country.
Thursday, the middle of the country is in the firing line, with the Whanganui River at Pipiriki forecast to peak 13.3 metres by midnight; leading to evacuations from low-lying areas this afternoon and defence force personnel helping prepare for flooding.
A state of emergency had earlier been declared in the Whanganui and Rangitikei districts.
On the South Island's east coast, Kaikoura is expecting up to 130mm rain in the almost 24 hours to 6am.
The Metservice have warned residents on the Kaikoura coast and Canterbury's Banks Peninsula that gales with gusts of up to 140 kilometres an hour will arrive tomorrow.
If the effects of the weather system match those experienced today, emergency services will be busy.
Our biggest city copped lashings of wind last night, with a landslide crashing through, but fortunately sparing lives, a block of flats at Kohimarama Beach.
This morning it was the turn of Torbay residents, after a cliff collapse put homes at risk. It will be a wet commute home for city-slickers; another 80mm is forecast to fall in Auckland before 10pm, Metservice warned.
Further south, Waikato and Waitomo can expect 120mm before midnight, and there are also rain warnings for Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and Taranaki.
Some areas have been told they may get three times April's normal rainfall in just 48 hours.
Digging out the stormwater collecting pond in Williamson Park, Whangamata by Onemana Rural Fire in an attempt to alleviate flooding in nearby streets. Photo/NZME
The latest forecast prompted Waikato Regional Council to warn residents to stay alert until at least tomorrow morning.
The region, as with much of the North Island, has copped a deluge of rain since the remnants of the Cyclone Debbie, which took lives and caused billions of dollars worth of damage in Queensland, crossed the Tasman early this week.
Kiwis have been luckier - so far.
Image 1 of 16: Cyclone Debbie causes wide-spread damage. Pictured the damaged Lotus walkway in Brown's Bay, Auckland. Photo / Supplied
Firefighters rescued two people trapped in waist-deep water inside their van in rural Bay of Plenty this morning, and police confirmed a motorist had a lucky escape when her car overturned in water more than a metre deep after aquaplaning between Raglan and Huntly just before dawn.
In Napier, wastewater systems were struggling to cope with the heavy rain, prompting the city council to ask residents this morning to cut back on water use for the next 24 hours.
