The North Island is starting to feel the brunt of Cyclone Dovi.

Powerco is reporting power cuts in Ngatea, Cambridge, Port Charles in Coromandel, Matamata, Putaruru, Richmond Downs, Mangatarata and Matamata - all due to strong winds.

Severe weather warnings are in place from Northland to Christchurch for heavy rain, strong wind and large waves.

Dovi started to cross paths with New Zealand starting North of Taranaki, MetService forecaster Gerard Bellam said on Saturday.

It then will move east across the North Island over Sunday.

'So we will be seeing the effects of heavy rains and severe gales over parts of central and northern New Zealand.”

There are also large wave warnings for parts of the North Island.

'Especially on the West Coast of the North Island which is the direction of the waves coming down from the north, the flow from the cyclone is producing quite a large northerly swell.”

Bellam says there is also likely to be significant waves at the north part of the South Island, across the Tasman bays.

Severe wind warnings are in place, with Auckland expected to bear the brunt of gusts that exceed 120km per hour up to 150km per hour on the Manukau Heads.

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency has issued a traffic warning that severe winds could force the closure of the Harbour Bridge for several hours.

They advise people to postpone non-urgent travel.

Safety protocols require the bridge closure to traffic when sustained wind gusts of 90km per hour or higher are likely.

Waka Kotahi's Mark Owen says they will continue to monitor conditions closely, with maintenance crews on standby to react immediately to close the bridge if wind gusts reach the predicted levels.

'Closing the Harbour Bridge is not a decision we take lightly at all, given the resulting disruption and inconvenience for Aucklanders, but we will not compromise on the safety of road users, and we won't hesitate to close the bridge if conditions are unsafe for it to be used.”

Other areas could also experience strong gales and warnings have been put in place for Wellington, Marlborough Sounds, Taranaki, Waikato, Auckland, Northland and later on Wairarapa and Hawke's Bay.

During the course of Monday Dovi should move away, with the silver lining being next week temperatures should return to normal for mid-February and the humidity should ease.

Has Cyclone Dovi caused damage in your area? Please send photos to newsroom@thesun.co.nz