Your Easter Weekend weather: bring on the sunshine

Easter egg hunts and serious beach time are all go on Sunday when blue skies and dry weather are forecast throughout most of the country.

Some areas, including Hawke's Bay, Gisborne, Bay of Plenty and Coromandel, are in four days of near bliss, with mostly dry and warm weather forecast.

Hawke's Bay is the place to be, Metservice meteorologist Karl Loots says.

Napier, Hastings, and Gisborne too, are all forecast to hit 26C and enjoy dry weather and clear skies tomorrow.

However from Southland and up the West Coast, two southerly fronts will bring heavy rain and lower temperatures.

Mild to warm temperatures in the low to mid 20s are forecast around most of the country over most of the long weekend.

Today's weather is "very quiet".

"There is nothing significant, no severe weather at all," Loots said.

There will be a few spots of rain this morning from upper Waikato northwards, but that should clear, becoming fine from midday.

This evening a few showers will start to spread over Westland, Fiordland and Southland as a front hovers just off the coast.

On Saturday morning it will make landfall bringing much colder weather over much of the South Island through the day.

"There will be some heavy rain in places and we may issue some watches and warnings for that later today," Loots said.

By the afternoon rain will have spread over much of the South Island.

"It is not looking great for the South Island on Saturday," Loots said.

Parts of the east coast will start the day fine, and Christchurch is forecast to reach 25C.

However cricket fans in the garden city could see a few showers tomorrow afternoon, the second day of the Black Cap's second test against England.

The cold front will drop temperatures several degrees in most places.

However, the North Island is in for a great day tomorrow.

"Hawke's Bay all around to Auckland, including Bay of Plenty and Coromandel, are looking great, and decently warm too. They will be nice and sheltered from the light westerly flow."

The front will reach the bottom of the North Island Saturday evening but start to ease off as it heads north.

"The good thing about this front is it will be fleeting," Loots said.

There may be a few showers in the mid-to-upper North Island early Sunday morning but these will clear quickly.

"For the most part it will not be a bad day Sunday for anybody," Loots said.

Only in the far south, around Invercargill, some rain may persist.

Monday morning another front is due to hit Fiordland, Westland and Southland.

"This one won't be as strong [as Saturday's] and won't affect the North Island as it tracks to the east."

The West Coast and Southland however are in for a rough Monday, with persistent rain from constant westerly flows.

People driving home from those areas will need to take extra care on the roads.

For the rest of the country the roads should be nice and dry with only a few showers in the morning clearing early.

To the north of New Zealand there is potential for a low to deepen into a tropical cyclone over the weekend.

Fiji MetService says the system is at low-to-moderate risk of developing into a cyclone, which would be called Cyclone Jo.

Loots said it was "more likely than not" to form a cyclone, at this stage.

"If it is going to form it looks to be Sunday.

"Its track is not too certain though and looks to just hang around to the south of Fiji and move into Tonga."

Good Friday: A few possible showers in northern parts of the North Island but dry for the rest of the country.

Saturday: North Island, cloud about isolated showers in the west from Manawatu to Northland, fine in the east. South Island, rain in the west with heavy falls, then clearing. A period of showers with a southerly change spreading over southern and eastern areas.

Easter Sunday: North Island, mainly fine. Isolated early showers in the east also from about Auckland and Northland. A few evening showers possible about Bay of Plenty. South Island, fine apart from rain or drizzle developing about Fiordland.

Monday: North Island, fine apart from cloudy periods in the west south of Auckland. South Island, rain spreading up the west coast and brief falls spreading east in Southland and Otago. Mainly fine elsewhere.

Main centres

Whangarei

Good Friday

- Fine spells, chance afternoon shower. Light winds. 25C high, 15C overnight.

Saturday - Fine at first, cloud increasing late morning, chance shower from afternoon. Southwesterlies develop morning. 25C high, 15C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Morning cloud, then fine. Southwest dying. 23C high, 13C overnight.

Monday - Fine with light winds. 22C high, 13C overnight.

Auckland
Good Friday - Partly cloudy, with one or two morning showers, becoming fine early afternoon. Light winds. 24C high, 16C overnight.

Saturday - Partly cloudy, with one or two afternoon and evening. Southwesterlies developing in the morning. 24C high, 16C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Possible early shower, then fine. Southwesterlies dying out. 22C high, 14C overnight.

Monday - Fine with light winds. 21C high, 15C overnight.

Hamilton
Good Friday - Fine, apart early morning fog patches. Light winds. 23C high, 10C overnight.

Saturday - Cloud increasing with a few showers from afternoon. Westerly breezes. 23C high, 11C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Fine. Light winds. 22C high, 9C overnight.

Monday - Cloudy periods. westerlies developing. 21C high, 10C overnight.

Tauranga
Good Friday - Cloud and the chance of a morning shower, clearing to fine in the afternoon. Light winds. 25C high, 14C overnight.

Saturday - Morning and evening cloud, otherwise fine. Westerlies. 24C high, 14C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Mainly fine, evening shower. Southwest then northeast. 23C high, 14C overnight.

Monday - Partly cloudy, chance early shower. Westerlies developing. 22C high, 13C overnight.

New Plymouth
Good Friday - Morning cloud, then fine. Light winds. 22C high, 13C overnight.

Saturday - Cloud increasing, with a few showers from afternoon. Northwesterlies, turning southwest in the evening. 22C high, 11C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Fine. Light winds. 20C high, 12C overnight.

Monday - Cloudy periods. Northwesterlies developing. 20C high, 15C overnight.

Napier
Good Friday - Morning cloud, then fine. Southerlies dying out in the morning. 23C high, 11C overnight.

Saturday - Sunny with light winds. Northwesterlies developing in the afternoon. 26C high, 13C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Early shower southerly, then partly cloudy northeast. 21C high, 11C overnight.

Monday - Fine. Northwesterlies developing. 24C high, 12C overnight.

Wellington​

Good Friday - Morning cloud, then fine. Light winds. Northerlies developing in the afternoon. 20C high, 14C overnight.

Saturday - Cloud developing late morning. Northerlies strengthening in the morning then turning southerly in the evening. 20C high, 11C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Fine. Northerlies developing. 18C high, 13C overnight.

Monday - Cloud increasing. Northerlies becoming strong. 18C high, 15C overnight.

Nelson​

Good Friday - Fine with light winds. 20C high, 12C overnight.

Saturday - Cloud increasing, with a few afternoon showers. Northwesterlies developing. 22C high, 9C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Fine. Light winds. 19C high, 10C overnight.

Monday - Fine, with increasing high cloud. Light winds. 20C high, 12C overnight.

Christchurch​

Good Friday - Fine apart from some morning cloud and fog patches. Northeasterlies developing around midday. 20C high, 10C overnight.

Saturday - Fine with high cloud and northwesterlies. A few showers developing with a southerly change in the afternoon. 25C high, 7C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Fine. Northeasterlies developing. 17C high, 7C overnight.

Monday - High cloud. Northeast turn northwest. 22C high, 11C overnight.

Dunedin​

Good Friday - A fine day with high cloud, thickening evening. Northeasterlies developing afternoon. 23C high, 14C overnight.

Saturday - A few showers developing morning, chance heavy, clearing evening. Northerlies changing strong southwesterly morning. 19C high, 10C overnight.

Easter Sunday - Fine. Northeasterlies developing. 18C high, 10C overnight.

Monday - Brief morning rain. Northwesterlies. 21C high, 13C overnight.