A severe weather warning remains in place, as heavy rain and northwest gales splatter parts of central New Zealand.

There are orange warnings for rain between Mt Taranaki and the Buller Ranges, and wind warnings for Wellington, Wairarapa, the Tararua District, and Marlborough.

That same strong front hit the South Island overnight, cutting power and sparking fires.

In Otago, gusts exceeded 135 kilometres an hour -- and possibly even reached 211 kilometres an hour near Lamb Hill, though MetService says it's now checking the accuracy of that station.

Māni Dunlop speaks to Keith Shaw who is the farm manager at Lamb Hill Station near Hindon.