She said for much of the weekend the North Island would wake to cloudy skies before the sun burned through, ushering in fine weather. But showers would pepper parts of the island over both days.
"In the afternoons, right through to Sunday, we do expect some showery conditions especially in central, western and northern parts of the North Island," she said.
The best weather is reserved for eastern coastal regions of both islands where warm temperatures will send the mercury rocketing up to nearly 30C.
Christchurch and Kaikoura are both looking to hit 28C and Ashburton and Timaru are likely to reach 27C.
As well as the high temperatures, Canterbury is also in line for strong winds on Sunday.
Meanwhile, on the west of the island a heavy rain watch has been issued for Westland and Fiordland.
But Makgabutlane said Monday would usher in a drastic change in temperatures in the south, which would have people reaching for their winter woollies overnight.
"From Sunday into Monday one of the places to see one of the biggest drops is Ashburton and Timaru. On Sunday they're expected to reach 27C and then on Monday their maximum is only 12C. It's a drop of 15C," she said.
Temperatures would remain summer-like in the North Island for the holiday weekend, she said.
