There are now eight regions in the North Island under a local state of emergency.
Hauraki, Whakatāne and Waikato Districts have just announced the measures, joining Tairāwhiti, Auckland, Coromandel, Northland and Ōpōtiki.
Meanwhile, authorities in Auckland are warning the weather may look different across the city as Cyclone Gabrielle swirls offshore.
MetService Meteorologist Angus Hines told Lloyd Burr the storm will only continue into Monday night and Tuesday morning.
"That's when everything is just going to continue to all combine together," Hines said.
"The wind is staying high, the swell is staying high, we've got that storm surge and if anything, for much of the North Island, the rain is actually going to intensify tonight.
"Some places haven't had all that much rain today, but it does look like there's a lot on the way tonight so it is going to be a challenging 24 hours ahead, that's for sure."
Hines said Cyclone Gabrielle is currently stretched out across a lot of the North Island, with the Northland and Coromandel facing the brunt of it at the moment.
With some Aucklanders feeling underwhelmed by the stormy weather so far, Hines reminded those Kiwis that the end of the storm is not yet near.
"The real heavy stuff hasn't really arrived. We are expecting those rainfall numbers to pick up tonight," he said.
"Some places have touched on 150 kilometres an hour already today and we do expect those really big numbers, those really strong wind gusts, to continue to blow through North Island regions today.
"That's likely to cause some further damage - some trees, powerlines, and power outages could all be impacted over the next day or two."
Listen to the full interview between Angus Hines and Lloyd Burr above.
You can also download the full interview on the Lloyd Burr Live podcast, and listen on the go.
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