Heavy rain and power cut

Hundreds of people awoke in darkness this morning after a power cut in Papamoa.

At 9am today, the power was still out in Papamoa and Papamoa East.

According to the Powerco website, the power cut was caused by "equipment failure''.

The power was cut about 1am this morning. It is expected to be returned to households around midday today.

Meanwhile, it was a damp start to the morning with heavy rain drenching the region.

MetService have forecast heavy rain for the remainder of the day and a severe weather watch is in place for the Bay of Plenty Rotorua, Northland, Taranaki, Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay areas.

MetService forecaster Heath Gullery said a front passing over central New Zealand was moving eastward and it would bring strong northerlies and a period of heavy rain for central and northern New Zealand.

A period of heavy rain is expected for the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty from late morning to this evening.

Depending on the amount of rainfall, the watch may increase to a warning, he said.