KEY POINTS:
As kiwis head back to the office to the start of the working year tomorrow, it looks like the golden weather is yet to come.
MetService forecaster John Crouch said the first working week of the year would feature clear skies and warm temperatures all over New Zealand, marking the end of a Christmas holiday period marred by unsettled weather.
"It's been pretty changeable for most of the holiday period but just as we go back to work it's going to be fine almost everywhere," he said.
But for the past couple of days, storm warnings and howling gales have provided unseasonable greetings to the new year.
The entire country has been affected by unsettled weather, with sunny spells interrupted by frequent wind and rain.
Torrential rain fell over much of the North Island yesterday, as a wet front moved across the island, with surface flooding reported near Mt Messenger in Taranaki.
The MetService expects the front to break the humid spell that has gripped Auckland in recent days. Humidity levels breached 90 per cent last week, with night-time temperatures failing to dip below a sticky 21 degrees.
The wet conditions brought welcome relief to dry farmlands in Hawke's Bay and Wairarapa, but were less appreciated by holiday-makers trying to enjoy their last day at the beach before travelling home.
The South Island was not spared the wild weather: the one-day cricket international between in Christchurch was affected by hail and rain.
NIWA climatologist James Renwick said the outlook for the remainder of the summer is promising, with above-average temperatures expected in the North Island and most of the South Island.
"February is traditionally the most settled month for weather in New Zealand so we can all hope we're going to get some fine periods of weather," he said.
