Stormy weather is passing over the North Island. Photo: RNZ/ Calvin Samuel
Power is out in parts of the upper North Island as bad weather passes over.
Earlier severe thunderstorm warnings have now been lifted, but a heavy rain watch remains in place for Bay of Plenty.
PowerCo's outage map shows about 170 properties in Bay of Plenty are without electricity.
Fire and Emergency said it attended to five flooding related callouts in Te Puke overnight - mostly involving homes flooded or threatened by floodwaters.
Meanwhile, earlier outages in Auckland and Northland appear to be resolved.
Niwa principal scientist Chris Brandolino told Checkpoint the place you don't want to be when there is lightning in and around your area is outside.
"You definitely don't want to be on the water or on the beach or under a single tree in a paddock. Lightning is lazy, lightning is going to go for the tallest thing out there."
He said the safest place to be is inside, away from windows: "There is an expression - when thunder roars, head indoors."
Brandolino explained that thunder is a result of lightning.
"Lightning is so hot - roughly five times hotter than the surface of the sun - it expands the air quite violently and then the air comes back, and it's that process that creates the thunder and loud noise."
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