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 Papamoa'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 says unfortunately tragedy's like this happen with the amount of rain we received.

He says the ground loses it's ability to soak up any more water, which is why slips have been so wide spread across the eastern sea board.