Civil Defence is warning landslides can happen without warning, after this week's record-breaking downpours across the upper North Island.

The adverse weather conditions have triggered slips across the region, and people have been put at risk as a result.

Andrew Stolte from the University of Auckland explained how to identify banks or cliffs that could pose a risk.

"At the top, if a slip is starting to happen, you might see evidence of cracks forming at the top of a slope, indicating that mass is going to come down and move at you."

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