It's not over yet: Another storm is set to bear down on NZ

A new storm is preparing to bear down from the tropical north and hit the North Island this weekend.

As central and southern regions mop up from a fast and furious storm that plunged parts of the country into a winter wonderland a new deluge looms.

Niwa today posted a tweet warning that a sub-tropical low was likely to strike the country this weekend.

Rain is drenching eastern regions of the North Island this afternoon before disappearing into the Pacific Ocean later today, but the entire country will get only a brief respite before the next deluge hits Northland and Coromandel Peninsula on Friday.

In a severe weather outlook, MetService said it would likely issue heavy rain warnings for Gisborne and the Wairoa District from Saturday through to early Sunday.

Auckland is in line for gale-force winds and heavy rain Saturday.