There were a few sunburnt faces over the weekend after the sun's rays caught many Kiwis off guard.
Subtropical winds brought humid cloudy weather on Saturday, making for an unseasonably warm start to April, with temperatures reaching the low- to mid-20s in much of the North Island. Cloud cover increased on Sunday along with showers in the north, but the heat - and humidity - lingered.
Some keen youngsters even braved the water. Pictured are Te Arepa Andrews, 8, and his sister Ina, 6, enjoying the waves at the mouth of the Kaituna River, near Maketu in the Bay of Plenty where temperatures on both days hit 22C. The east of the North Island got the best weather, with a smoking 28C in Gisborne on Sunday and 26C in Napier.
Warm weather aside, the end of daylight saving yesterday was an unwelcome reminder for many that winter is less than two months away. Clocks fell back an hour, spelling the end of backyard cricket games with the sun setting just after 6pm.
MetService meteorologist April Clark said although final figures weren't in, autumn's weather had generally been warmer than the average, especially in the evenings.
"There's been a layer of cloud about that acts as a blanket over that warm moist air mass. Lots of places will be quite muggy at night," she said. "Looking at the week ahead, on average temperatures will be six degrees higher at the moment than the average for the month of April."
But while temperatures remain high, heavy rain is due across much of the country this week as a low moves over, bringing leftover moisture from the remnants of Cyclone Debbie. Some models suggest parts of the country could see a month's worth of rain falling this week.