A fishing boat ran into a storm off the coast of the Northland region and sank. At least four people have been killed, police said. There is one more missing. Five people on board were rescued and taken to hospital.
Stormy weather reached Auckland on Monday morning, with 76.88mm of rain falling in one hour. That is the second largest amount of precipitation ever recorded in the city within that time frame. Highways were blocked by flooding. Schools remained closed, and ferry traffic has been shut down.
The city of Hamilton is meanwhile braced for six thunderstorms expected Monday afternoon.
The meteorological service warns that the stormy weather will continue for a good part of the week in New Zealand.