Waitangi Day weather: Hot and sunny in the North Island, cool and wet in the South

Waitangi Day is looking to be a summer scorcher with eastern areas in the North Island heading for highs of 30C.

Waitangi itself is in for mostly fine weather for the big day with some patchy cloud and a high of 25C, followed by highs of 27C for the rest of the long weekend.

For those heading to the Waitangi Treaty Grounds for dawn it might pay to “have a coat handy” as there is a chance of early morning showers before sunrise, said MetService meteorologist Devlin Lynden.

Elsewhere in the North Island eastern regions, such as Coromandel, Bay of Plenty, and Wairarapa, are expected to stay mostly sunny, with temperatures climbing, and potentially nudging into the low 30s on Saturday and Sunday in Hawke’s Bay.

The North Island is set to be warm and sunny this long weekend, but it is a different story for the South. Photo / Sylvie Whinray

Lynden said there is a possibility for heat warnings to be issued in Whakatāne and Tauranga as they have consistently high overnight temperatures.

Western regions of the North Island are expected to get occasional cloud and the odd shower over the weekend.

The South Island’s weather will strongly contradict the North’s as cooler temperatures and rain are forecast.

“It’s a tale of two islands this Waitangi Weekend.”

Ashburton is set to get rain at the start of the long weekend, while daytime temperatures in Fiordland and Southland are set to stay in the teens on Saturday.

Northern areas of the island, such as Kaikōura and Blenheim, will be warmer, potentially in the high 20s, Lynden said.

“The further south you go, the cooler it gets. So the likes of Invercargill and Gore, right down the bottom, [are] only expected to stay in the mid to high teens.”

For the northeastern South Island, there will be more dry breaks, but a passing shower remains possible, so keeping an umbrella handy is a good idea.

No severe weather warnings or watches have been issued by MetService.