Bay of Plenty and Rotorua residents are being warned heavy rain is on the way for those west of Whakatane today.

The Metservice issued the heavy rain warning just before 8am.

In 12 hours from 8am today up to 90mm is expected to fall, with peak intensities of 15 to 25mm per hour this morning.

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Heavy rain watches have also been issued for Coromandel Peninsula, Gisborne and Hawke's Bay, north of Napier.

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Seventy to 90mm of rain is possible in the 12 hours to 8pm in Coromandel Peninsula, and 90mm possible in Hawke's Bay over 18 to 21 hours from 4pm today, although falls will mainly be about the ranges.

Meanwhile, people who had to leave their homes in Wellington because of slips on Thursday night are likely to be locked out until next week.

A block of flats in the Aro Valley and a house in Wadestown still have to be checked by engineers, meaning those who live there probably won't be going home this weekend.

Wellington City Council spokesman Richard MacLean says two main roads are also still closed because of the slips.

The roads are The Esplanade, between Island Bay and Lyall Bay, and The Pass Of Branda, between Breaker Bay and Seatoun.

MacLean is hoping they'll reopen by midday.

More than 20 slips caused chaos and widespread damage across Wellington after hours of heavy rain yesterday.

Slips and road closures in Wellington after heavy rain overnight. Video/Matiu Workman

A resident affected by a large slip that lead to the evacuation of a block of Aro St flats described the early morning avalanche of mud and vegetation as sounding "like an earthquake".

"It just kept coming down with a loud crash," Heather Patterson said.

Conditions have eased in the city, however, with the Metservice forecasting just a few showers and a high of 10C today and tomorrow.

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It will be brisk - southerlies are described as strong.

It's going to be a wet Saturday for much of the upper North Island and there's also a moderate risk of thunderstorms over Bay of Plenty and Rotorua this morning, with small hail also possible, Metservice says.

It's raining in Auckland this morning and wet weather is also forecast for Hamilton, Whangarei and Napier, but the weather will improve across all centres tomorrow.

All can expect cloudy periods with a few showers on Sunday.

Occasional rain is also expected in Christchurch today, with a few showers clearing tomorrow afternoon. It'll be nippy - temperatures won't top 9C either day.

Other parts of the South Island will be spoilt with more settled weather, with a dry weekend forecast across at the top and west of the South Island.