A pedestrian tunnel in Lower Hutt has partially flooded this morning as heavy rain and wind gusts batter the Wellington region.

Water is concerned wild weather could increase the likelihood of raw sewage being pushed towards the shoreline.

Wellingtonians are being warned to stay off south coast beaches as severe southerly winds and heavy rain strike the region ...

BlueBridge has cancelled two ferry sailings for passengers, and KiwiRail warns some Interislander services could be delayed .

Two BlueBridge ferry sailings have been cancelled for passengers due to rough conditions in Cook Strait. MetService forecasts southerly swells of up to 4m with winds reaching just over 80 km/h.

Winds in Wellington have topped 190km/h in high parts and about 130km/h in the city.

Banks Peninsula is under an orange heavy rain warning, with a further 70 to 100 millimetres of rain predicted.

Floods cause power outages, road collapses, home evacuations and are linked to the death of a man whose vehicle was submerged on a highway.

In Auckland, patchy rain possible transitions to heavy downpours (13°C/12°C), while Queenstown sees 23°C highs but risks southerly winds. February’s overall stats show moderate rainfall averaging ...