Mixed weather forecast for school holidays

File photo / Chris Gorman

It could be raincoats and sunglasses at the ready this week as the school holidays kick off with a temperamental forecast.

A rainy, showery start to the week will be followed by some fine days, before turning miserable again for the weekend over much of the North Island.

However, the South Island looks set to be the holiday hotspot, with a mostly fine week, particularly in the east.

Tuesday and Wednesday were tipped by MetService duty forecaster Hannah Moes to be the best days for outdoor activities in Auckland.

Summing up the week ahead, Ms Moes said: "The east of the North Island is going to remain quite wet, and Auckland, Northland and Coromandel will be quite showery for most of the week. The rest of the country doesn't look too bad."

The blustery, wet weather which soaked the Wellington region today was moving northwards this afternoon and evening.

It would reach Auckland by tomorrow, bringing a showery start to the week, while the rest of the North Island improves.

"Most of the South Island for tomorrow is going to be pretty nice, quite fine with a frosty start," Ms Moes said. "The North Island will be showery in the north and in the east, but mostly fine elsewhere."

She added: "Through until Tuesday things aren't really changing too much, so we've [got] showers in Auckland, Northland and Coromandel, and Gisborne, Hawkes Bay and Fiordland, and the rest of the country is mostly fine.

"On Wednesday the showers should clear in the north but we're looking at rain for the east, and then on Thursday we have another trough approaching the country from the Tasman Sea which looks like it'll bring rain to many places in the North Island and the west and south of the South Island."

Main centres forecast for today and tomorrow:

* Auckland -- Fine spells today with a few showers becoming more frequent this evening, and a north-westerly wind, a high of 17C. Tomorrow will see showers, clearing in the evening and becoming fine, a fresh south-east wind and a high of 16C.

* Wellington -- Rain today, easing to a few showers by this afternoon with a strong south-easterly and a high of 12C. Tomorrow is set to be sunny and fine, with south-easterlies dying out, and a high of 14C.

* Christchurch -- Fine spells today with a few showers until evening, the southerly wind dies out, and a high of 11C. tomorrow in fine, but with morning cloudy periods and a strengthening north-easterly, a high of 13C.