Tropical cyclone Wilma battered New Zealand’s upper North Island in the wee hours of Saturday, bringing flood waters and wrecking landslides in the region, local media reported.

The flood has caused damage to a number of state highways and led to power blackouts in the region, said media reports.

Fallen trees, slips, heavy rains, forceful winds have added to the woes, Radio New Zealand reported.

According to New Zealand’s meteorology department, the worst affected areas include the Northland province, Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty, Gisborne, the Waikato region, Tauranga and Rotorua. The cyclone is moving away to the south-east and conditions are expected to normalize late Saturday, the department said.

However, in view of the inconvenience in commuting, the authorities have advised citizens to stay indoors as the roads in many areas are blocked.

Meanwhile, flood conditions continued to be likely as most of the major rivers, including River Waimana and Whakatan, in North Island were topping their banks, New Zealand Civil Defence told media.

NASA's Aqua satellite had captured images of Cyclone Wilma in the Southwestern Pacific Ocean on Monday this week, post which heavy rain warnings were issued for North Island.