KEY POINTS:
Scorching temperatures brought a taste of summer to New Zealand yesterday. The lower South Island felt the full impact of the large high-pressure front that dominated our skies last week.
Ashburton and Alexandra recorded the joint national high of 32C, with Dunedin, Oamaru, Timaru and Christchurch close behind.
North Islanders had some golden weather of their own, with most areas experiencing clear blue skies and temperatures in the early to mid 20s.
Gisborne was the North's hottest spot with 26C.
Argentinian tourists Sergio Michelini and Florencia Juarez were enjoying their first taste of New Zealand sunshine with a quick dip at Auckland's Mission Bay.
"We're used to this kind of heat [in Argentina] but this has been a beautiful day - the water was nice," said Michelini.
The heatwave caused headaches for firefighters, with scrub fires closing South Island roads yesterday afternoon. A blaze closed State Highway 1 at Hinds, Ashburton, about 4pm and another fire earlier shut State Highway 97 at Five Rivers, north of Invercargill.
MetService forecaster Leigh Matheson said northwesterly winds were blowing through the lower South Island - common during spring and summer. "It's a combination of warm air and clear, sunny skies down there - that's when the temperatures really start to warm up."
Niwa climate expert Jim Salinger said Kiwis should be "reasonably optimistic" that the November sunshine will be followed by more of the same for summer.
"This is the sort of weather we're expecting for the months ahead - clear skies and above-average temperatures. We've had a big high spreading over New Zealand and that's brought us some lovely weather."
The MetService predicted the hot spell would continue today, although with slightly cooler temperatures, before a cooling front and drizzle moved up the country tomorrow.
