A large landslip swept through a campground where up to 42 people were sleeping in flood-stricken Central Otago early today.

Further flooding is possible for the South Island's sodden Waitaki district, where 1000 people remain without drinking water.

Flood waters in Canterbury and Otago have begun to recede as heavy rain eases, but there's no respite with snow forecast for tonight.

The eastern Bay of Plenty is in for a dose of heavy rain tonight while the south gets a respite.

Torrential rain has flooded homes overnight in the Bay of Plenty, sparking evacuations and more than 20 callouts to emergency services.

Emergency and Civil Defence teams were gearing up last night for a weather beating expected to hit within hours.

Are parts of New Zealand about to go under water?

Heavy rain and gales are expected to lash the main islands from tonight, with the MetService warning of one of the "bigger weather events" for some time.

Don't put the umbrellas away just yet. A storm bringing more heavy rain and winds is on its way to parts of the North Island.

Is there a massive government conspiracy developing in the skies over New Zealand?

The weekend’s rough weather in the North Island definitely marked a major turning point in our weather - this is just the start of wetter things to come.

River flow levels and a minimal rain forecast suggest Queenstown's Lake Wakatipu might only rise by a further 10cm.

Scepticism about global warming is widespread amongst TV forecasters.

Forecasters and frustrated farmers say short bursts of heavy showers yesterday will do little to break droughts.

Parts of the drought-stricken north are expected to get their first rain in more than two months, but forecasters warn they are unlikely to be the end of the drought.

A Niwa climate scientist says 56mm of rain has fallen so far this year, the lowest of any three-month period in Auckland.