Strong winds hit a fair chunk of the North Island and northeastern parts of the South Island overnight.

Surprisingly, heavy rain woke Cantabrians up this morning with a gusty southerly, although conditions are now slowly beginning to ease.

Barometers took a dive during the night with Kaikoura down to 976 hpa, while Christchurch and Oamaru were around the 980 mark.

Winds continue to be very gusty around Wellington for the second day running, with peak gusts approaching the 100 kph mark. Aucklanders aren’t missing out either and are seeing winds gust near the gale force mark occasionally.