Tauranga, Rotorua and Whitianga have been hit by torrential rain inside the last hour with more than 25mm of rain falling.

Last night Northland copped flooding in numerous places as reports came into WeatherWatch.co.nz of very heavy rain being experienced, flooded streams and rivers, slips, roads being cut off by floodwaters and a few homes being inundated with water.

Winds have also increased with south west gales topping 100kph over parts of Northland and the outer islands of the Auckland region.