Afternoon thunderstorms are likely in inland regions in the southern part of the North Island today and tomorrow. Heavy rain is expected in those areas on Thursday during the day and and the Bay of Plenty and Waikato on Thursday night, spilling over into Friday. According MetService the worst of the weather is expected to miss Otago, with some rain expected across the region, but no heavy falls forecast. There was high confidence heavy rain would fall in Northland, Bay of Plenty and areas around Gisborne. "There remains some uncertainty as to the exact track of this low, but this weather system has the potential to bring significant severe weather to northern and central New Zealand."

Source: Otago Daily Times January 01, 2018 22:07 UTC