Aucklanders who shivered through another cold night will be pleased to know the showers that brought hail to many places yesterday will ease today.
A pool of cold air over Northland and Auckland that yesterday pelted the North Island with hail and heavy showers is moving away.
Northern and western parts of the country will be in for plenty of sunshine today and tomorrow, MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey said.
"This sunshine will be well earned after all the rain these places had last week," he said.
Easing weather will be the trend for both North and South islands, and Aucklanders will have a mainly fine day today.
Eastern parts of the North Island can expect another day of showers, with some heavy, but they will clear tomorrow.
Last night, the city was expected to get down to 3C, with sheltered areas down to 2C. Tonight's minimum temperatures will be similar.
"It's pretty chilly ... places a bit more sheltered could be seeing a little frost, it's certainly possible with temperatures like that," MetService meteorologist Claire Flynn said.
The northern skifields recorded a good dusting of fresh snow, with Whakapapa receiving 10cm and Turoa 5cm.
Chateau Tongariro front of house manager Udey Singh said it was a treat for guests and staff.
"It's a nice clear day. I think we got enough, what we needed, last night. I believe it's the biggest dump here since 2008."
Yesterday, Southland, Otago and Canterbury were blanketed with snow, with heavy falls down to 100m.
In Canterbury, heavy snow closed Summit Road at the base of Banks Peninsula and local authorities advised against travelling in the area. Snow also affected roads in the inner harbour area and the council advised "extreme caution" there today.
State Highway 93 was closed between Clinton in Otago, and Mataura in Southland, yesterday morning.
Dunedin's hill suburbs were blanketed with the white stuff, and snow disrupted some city bus services.
Later in the week another low will approach New Zealand from the Tasman Sea, bringing more rain for the country.
Today's weather
Whangarei: Fine spells and a few showers with cool southerly breezes. High of 12C, low of 4C.
Auckland: Mainly fine with occasional showers and cool southerly breezes. High of 12C, low of 3C.
Hamilton: Fine spells and morning frost. High of 11C, low of -2C.
Tauranga: Fine spells, chance of some showers. High of 12C, low of 2C.
Wellington: Occasional showers and strong southerlies. High of 7C, low of 5C.
Christchurch: Cloudy periods with showers, possibly sleety. High of 7C, low of 1C.
Dunedin: Morning showers ease, and southerlies die out. High of 7C, low of 0C.