Weather cuts power in Auckland

10:45 pm on 7 March 2017

Power is expected to return to more than 200 homes on Auckland's North Shore by 3am this morning as heavy rain hits the top of the North Island.

A Vector spokesperson, Melanie Tuala, said a line went down in the Castor Bay area intially cutting power to 1280 homes, but now there were only 219 affected.

It has been raining heavily in Auckland, and with wild weather forecast for the coming days, Ms Tuala said they were expecting more damage across the network.

NIWA said Whitianga, Whangamata, Miranda, Leigh, and Tauranga Raws have had about 30 to 40 percent of their total March rainfall within a six hour period today.

MetService has issued a heavy rain and severe thunderstorm warning from Auckland south to Bay of Plenty overnight.

It said rain was expected at rates of up to 40mm/h over south Auckland, the northern Waikato, Coromandal Peninsula and western Bay of Plenty.

Heavy rain warnings were also in place for the central and upper North Island.

MetService said the inital burst should ease during Wednesday but further rain was expected on Thursday and Friday.