Beautiful weather for polling day, heavy rain warning tomorrow

The sun will be out for most of polling day.

Auckland, Hamilton, Taupo and Wellington will be fine this morning, while Gisborne and Hawke's Bay will get their best weather late this afternoon.

Niwa's Seth Carrier is picking rain for Southland, but an improvement this afternoon.

He says the best of the lot is Canterbury, with a dry day and above average temperatures.

However, a dumping of rain is on the way for the west coast of the South Island and gales are in store for Canterbury tomorrow night.

A heavy rain warning is now in place for Westland, south of Hokitika, as well as Fiordland.

MetService says the rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly, may cause surface flooding and slips and could make driving conditions hazardous.

A strong wind warning is in place for Canterbury from tonight until Monday morning.

Gusts could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures and driving may be hazardous.