ED TISSINK/SUPPLIED Whitby, near Porirua, was hit by lightning strikes around 5am on Sunday morning. Meanwhile, thunderstorm warnings are being issued for central New Zealand. Heavy rain warnings were also in place in Taranaki and the wider Wellington region, with heavy rain up to 150mm expected to last until 9pm Sunday. 109,000 lightning strikes were recorded by MetService in the last 24 hours, with 18,000 strikes recorded over land. The weather warnings come after thunderstorms caused flooding near Rangitata on Saturday, forcing campers to evacuate and the Rangitata River banks bursted.

Source: Stuff December 07, 2019 18:04 UTC