Hawke's Bay's big wet set to continue

More downpours are set to soak Hawke's Bay until early next week.

The hills and ranges of Hawke's Bay were under a heavy rain warning through to midday today and possibly longer, MetService forecasts show.

The warning, covering Hawke's Bay and Tararua, came as a slow-moving low to the west of the North Island directed a moist easterly flow that delivered the heavy falls.

Forecasts did not show a day without some rain until early next week.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council engineers were monitoring river catchments in light of the predictions.

A council spokeswoman said there were no major concerns last night.

"This may change if parts of the region get more intensive rain than has been forecast by MetService," she said.

The region's roads were also holding out despite the week of rain and bouts of heavy downpours.

New Zealand Transport Agency acting state highways manager Gordon Hart said, "We have been doing well. The network has been holding up."

The highways south to Dannevirke and north to Wairoa were clear, as was State Highway Five through to Taupo.

"We have had some small slips and rock falls, which we would expect given the amount of rain we have had, but nothing which has caused any major disruption," Mr Hart said.

Unrelenting rain had, however, created delays and problems for the agency's road maintenance and construction crews working across the region.

Mr Hart said motorists using State Highway Two between Napier and Gisborne could expect to encounter maintenance and storm clean-up crews.