UPDATED 8.45pm
Holiday makers have described the "terrifying" conditions on Coromandel roads as a storm batters the region causing slips and flooding.
The peninsula has been completely cut off with the weather causing both state highways to be closed. More closures are expected with the King Tide expected to hit its highest level about 8.45pm.
Philippa McIver was travelling with her family from Te Mata on the Coromandel's east coast to Auckland when she came across one of the slips.
The road was unpassable so they called the fire service before heading across the peninsula on the Coroglen Rd.
"It was terrifying. The water that we were driving past was swelling over the road, there were waterfalls, a couple of slips that were almost completely blocking the road," she told the Herald.
"We were just hoping we were not going to be stuck on that road with no phone reception. The road was super slippery, it was all mud, there were lots of rocks on the road too so we were worried about a puncture."
The Thames Coromandel District Council said four sections of the state highway network were closed across the district and more may be affected later because of the rising river levels and the king tide at 8.45pm.
SH25 was closed at Manaia and SH25 Whitianga to Kaimarama were closed due to flooding and SH25A Kopu- Hikuai was closed due to a slip.
SH25 (Thames Coast Rd) was also closed 3km south of Tapu because of a slip.
Now, the District Council has now asked motorists to avoid all travel across the peninsula until further notice
Waikato Regional Council will be activating the Kauaeranga spillway on State Highway 25 and, with excessive amounts of water in the Kauaeranga Valley, the road could be closed into late tonight or even tomorrow.
By noon the Coromandel ranges had already seen of 107.5mm recorded since 7pm yesterday.
Residents in Matatoki, south of Thames, are also facing a shortage of drinking water.
"Some customers may be experiencing low water pressures or possibly no water," Thames-Coromandel District Council spokeswoman Laurna White said.
"We are sending a water tanker at Matatoki School for any customers experiencing problems with their water supply. Please bring your own container and water will need to be boiled before consumption."
Elsewhere, Taranaki motorists are being warned to take care as strong winds hit the area.
READ MORE: Flood watch as king tides could cause headaches for coastal areas
The strong winds are hitting State Highway 45, between New Plymouth and Opunake, and trees are down in some places with police asking motorists to take extra care or delay non-urgent travel.
The wild weather and gale-force winds earlier closed roads, felled trees, flooded properties and caused power cuts in Auckland.
The downpours hit the north early this morning, bringing 34.5mm in one hour to some Auckland suburbs while easterly gusts reached up to 113km/h in the Hauraki Gulf.
Albany recorded 31.3mm of rain between 7am and 8am today - the third-wettest hour since records for that area began almost nine years ago, according to Niwa.
The heavy rain brought plenty of surface flooding to low-lying areas, causing disruptions on some of Auckland's busiest roads.
Motorists were delayed on the Northern Motorway with the brief closures of Oteha Valley Rd on-ramp and two of its lanes in Rosedale.
Tāmaki Drive has also reopened after being closed around high tide.
Meanwhile those on SH1 in Warkworth are still facing major delays due to a car hitting a power pole.
Contractors have now opened SH28 with a stop-go system in place but NZTA still warns of delays.
Northlanders, Aucklanders and those along the coast in the Bay of Plenty were warned to watch out for flooding as rain and high winds coincide with a king tide this morning and again this evening.
High tide in Auckland this morning was at 8.53am. The next high tide is at 9.19pm.
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