© Warwick Smith/ Fairfax NZThe Whangaehu River in flood.
A hundred people have been evacuated from Waitotara - likely the south Taranaki village's entire population - after flooding engulfed the remote town.
Waitotara is located about 30 kilometres north of Whanganui. It has sixty houses and sits on the Waitotara River, which flooded in the heavy rain over the weekend.
Residents were not able to return to their homes on Sunday, as flood waters were still high, Civil Defence said. Some residents were asked to evacuate, while others self-evacuated. Many went to the nearby town of Waverley.
A state of emergency remains in place for Taranaki, Whanganui and Rangitikei.
More than 200 people were evacuated from areas near the Whanganui River,
which reached record levels of 9.1 metres at Town Bridge at 3am on Sunday. Many more people had self-evacuated.
About 100 flood affected homes on the city's Anzac Parade could be inaccessible until Tuesday because of the high waters, the Ministry of Civil Defence said.