Weather: What to expect for the long weekend

Hawke's Bay was hit by snow earlier this week but should be one of the country's driest spots this long weekend. Photo / Warren Buckland, Hawke's Bay Today

For warmth, look north and east this long weekend, forecasters say.

Warmer conditions are expected for most of New Zealand this Queen's Birthday weekend but some popular holiday spots will have capricious weather.

Wairarapa and Hawkes Bay should be the country's driest spots this long weekend, WeatherWatch said.

Fiordland and possibly the top of Northland would jostle for the ignominious title of New Zealand's wettest areas.

"Nowhere is especially cold, but the lower South Island is exposed to a southerly by Monday which will drop temperatures as the day goes on," WeatherWatch forecasters added.

The entire North Island and most of the South Island should be mostly dry tomorrow.

WeatherWatch said the South Island's West Coast would not be so balmy, and some "spillover spits" could fall on the east coast but the Mainland would otherwise avoid rain.

Things would get "a little more complicated" on Sunday, WeatherWatch said.

The northwestern South Island from around Greymouth to Nelson would probably be rainy, and patches of rain were possible in the North Island too, especially in the top half of Northland.

The same northeasterly flow responsible for those possible showers up north could dump rain on the western Bay of Plenty and on eastern Coromandel peninsula holiday hotspots.

In a weather move reminiscent of a "no surprises" policy, rain would also return to perennially-damp Fiordland, this long weekend's wettest region.

Most of the country would moisten on Monday.

"Monday seems to get wetter by the hour as a slow moving cold front heads towards towards New Zealand from the west," WeatherWatch said.

The South Island's west side would stay wet with spillover rain forecast for Southland and western Otago.

Showers, possibly heavy, were possible around Nelson and Marlborough.

At least half of the North Island could experience rain or showers but WeatherWatch said people could still expect plenty of dry areas across the country. The dry spots could get a bit more cloudy and windy as the long weekend drew to a close.

WeatherWatch said people planning to extend their break to Tuesday should watch out for heavy rain in both islands and isolated thunderstorms as a new low pressure system moved in.

Your upper North Island forecast for Queen's Birthday weekend:

SATURDAY

Whangarei: Fine breaks and the odd shower with northeasterlies. High 17C, low 12C

Auckland: Fine with northeasterlies. High 17C, low 12C

Tauranga: Mainly fine with a chance morning and evening showers; northeasterlies. High 16C, 11C

Hamilton: Fine with light winds. High 16C, low 6C

SUNDAY

Whangarei: Rain developing in the morning with a chance of heavy falls; northeasterlies. High 18C, low 11C

Auckland: Cloudy periods with a few showers, and rain in the evening; northeasterlies. High 17C, low 12C

Tauranga: Cloudy periods and a few showers with northeasterlies. High 17C, low 12C

Hamilton: Cloud increasing with evening rain and northeasterlies developing. High 17C, low 9C

MONDAY

Whangarei: Rain easing to showers in the morning, with northerlies. High 19C, low 13C

Auckland: Rain easing to a few showers in the morning, with northerlies. High 17C, low 14C

Tauranga: Rain at times with northeasterlies freshening. High 17C, low 13C

Hamilton: Occasional rain, easing later, with northeasterlies. High 17C, low 10C

(Source: MetService)