Weather

Stories of dramatic rescues from vehicles and homes - aided by boats and helicopters - have come to light during the widespread flooding.

You may not be able to stop water coming onto your property during a storm - but there are some things you can do. Audio

Rain is heading into Auckland, Coromandel and Northland as a tropical low lies north of New Zealand on Wednesday afternoon.

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Extreme heat and humidity during recent matches in the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea have raised questions about player welfare. Audio

While Blenheim is set to reach almost 30 degrees, Fiordland and Southland are expected to be hammered by heavy downpours.

MetService issued the watches on Saturday morning as a slow moving front is expected to bring heavy rain to Fiordland and far southern Westland.

Locals say heartache could've been avoided if the stream bordering their properties had been dug out. Audio

Just how wet and cool it was this summer, according to the official data. Audio

Zealandia conservation and restoration general manager Jo Ledington told RNZ the weather event had been described as like being in a "snow globe".

It comes after an earlier deluge this week saw roads cut and communities isolated.

Auckland Council says it's just the start and more property acquisitions are planned. Audio

MetService was forecasting three-metre swells and winds of up to 74 km/h in the Strait.

Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office has issued a red alert for TAFEA province as a tropical cyclone hovers near the province.

Little River, about 30 kilometres south of Christchurch, was badly flooded in February and last May.

Flash flooding earlier this month brought boulders, logs and massive amounts of water down the mountain. Audio