The first Saturday of summer has seen parts of New Zealand bask in temperatures not usually seen so early.
Temperatures near Christchurch were expected to reach 34 degrees today - much higher than the summer average of 21 degrees.
WeatherWatch.co.nz head weather analyst Philip Duncan said it was the third weekend in a row with daytime highs above their norm for this time of the year.
Some parts of Canterbury have not had rain for a month but downpours yesterday helped some areas inland, he said.
The sunshine in New Zealand is in stark contrast to weather in Australia, which has seen a stormy start to summer with thousands of lightning strikes.