Destruction and tragedy have come in the wake of slips caused by record rainfall in the upper North Island. 

Police have confirmed two bodies have been found following an early morning landslide on Pāpāmoa's Welcome Bay Road. 

As well, a man is still missing after being swept away by the Mahurangi River north of Warkworth on Wednesday. 

Hundreds of homes remain without power and there's widespread closures on the Coromandel Peninsula, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne District on State Highways 2, 25 and 35. 

Emergency Management Minister Mark Mitchell told Mike Hosking unfortunately tragedies like this happen with the amount of rain we received. 

He says the ground loses its ability to soak up any more water, which is why slips have been so widespread across the eastern seaboard. 

Rescuers at the base of Mount Maunganui have been working through the night and into the morning to find campers buried by a landslide.  

A source has told the Herald there could be up to nine people unaccounted for —including children— after the hill gave way and smashed through a popular campsite and hot pools.  

Mitchell told Hosking there's no timeline for how rescue efforts will unfold.  

He says a lot of earth has come down and destroyed buildings, campervans, and caravans. 

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