Hot weather week on the way for many New Zealanders, with high of 30C in part of Auckland region

Aucklanders crank up your fans - it's going to be a hotty this week.

That's once a dribble of forecast midday showers today is out of the way.

The sun is expected to bake the region to 26C today and tomorrow, with 28C on Thursday at Auckland Airport and 30C in Hunua.

The Met Service said the highest temperatures at the airport this year, 28C were recorded on January 30 and 31 and on February 4. But at Ardmore Aerodrome and Whenuapai sweltered in 30C heat on January 29.

The weather week is shaping up similarly for much of the North Island. Tauranga is forecast to have a week of sunshine with daily highs of 28 to 30C.

And Tauranga, along with many areas facing to the east or northeast, are experiencing what the MetService rates as high quality surf conditions, with waves over a metre in height. Hot Water Beach on the eastern side of the Coromandel Peninsula is expected to have 1.9m waves and offshore winds today.

A ridge of high pressure was in control over the North Island yesterday while a front edged slowly onto the South Island, said forecaster Sarah Haddon. The front would move onto the North Island today.

"It's weakening as it goes so there's not a lot of precipitation with that, just a few showers over the North Island with that front. Everything should be becoming fine [today] over the South Island as well."

In Christchurch the temperature is set to soar to 31C on Thursday. Dunedin can expect a week in the mid-20s, with some rain setting in on Thursday. Only on the West Coast is heavy rain forecast.

WeatherWatch NZ analyst Philip Duncan said that towards the end of the week, several low pressure systems well to the north of New Zealand could merge together, covering an area the size of Australia.

By Friday this tropical low could bring rain to very dry parts in northern New Zealand. Over the weekend it could drop south to cover the upper North Island

"There is a very fine line between tropical rain to the north, and completely bone dry over New Zealand. For those trying to lock in weekend plans in northern New Zealand it will be a matter of 'watch this space' as we fine tune that boundary for heavy rain and completely/mostly dry."

In fire-plagued Nelson/Tasman the forecast holds out the prospect of some moisture today, but Haddon said not to expect much from the front that would pass eastwards over the region early this morning.

"We are expecting there to be not a lot of precipitation with that."