"Napier city is at 26.5 and Hastings is 25.1, so it's definitely a nice warm day in eastern places but the negative aspect is the very strong gusty northwesterly winds," Best said.
A strong wind warning is in place for Southland, North Otago, Dunedin and the Canterbury high country.
Severe gales are gusting up to 130km/h in exposed places in the Canterbury high country.
The gusts are hindering crews battling fires in Southland and Fairlie, but are forecast to ease for a time this evening.
Gales reaching 120km/h are expected in exposed places in Wairarapa north of Masterton.
Strong wind gusts could damage trees, powerlines and unsecured structures, Metservice said.
"Especially if you're driving, particularly motorcycles and high-sided vehicles, take heed of weather warnings," Best said.
"A lot of people are coming back [home] today. Certainly don't drive at speed at all because those winds will have an added effect."
Strong gusts are currently blustering at the summit of Rimutaka Hill between Wairarapa and Wellington, prompting the New Zealand Transport Agency to issue a warning to drivers.
A strong wind watch is in place for Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch and Central Otago.
Winds should ease slowly tomorrow.
Easter Monday
Eastern parts of the South Island are in for another hot day on Monday.
"We're expecting places like Kaikoura to be up around 26 degrees, Christchurch up around 28 degrees, also east of North Island places like Gisborne, Napier and Hastings, 26 degrees," Best said.
It will be a relatively warm night for people between Auckland and Levin, where temperatures are expected to reach 5C above average on Monday night into Tuesday morning.
