Wet weather forecast this weekend, heavy rain warnings for Taranaki, South Island

Much of New Zealand is in for a soggy weekend as the winter months draw to a close, with rain forecast for tomorrow through to early next week for many places.

Rain warnings are focused mainly on mountainous terrain and central New Zealand as a mature low moves across the Tasman Sea.

A heavy rain watch is in place overnight for Buller, coastal parts of North Otago and Dunedin.

A heavy rain watch is in place from 7am on Friday until Saturday for Northern Taranaki, excluding the mountain.

Latest Severe Weather Outlook covere the Period from Midnight Friday to Midnight Tuesday, and is mostly concerned with the front still crossing the North Island. Details at https://t.co/RneUpvOdMj ^RK pic.twitter.com/HxGGdpMk6H

— MetService (@MetService) August 26, 2021

A heavy rain warning is also in place for Nelson overnight and the ranges of Westland, south of Otira.

Heavy rain warnings for Mt Taranaki and the Marlborough Sounds begin tomorrow morning through to Saturday. Rainfall is expected to reach up to 150mm in Mt Taranaki during that time.

"Heavy rain may cause streams and rivers to rise rapidly. Surface flooding and slips are also possible and driving conditions may be hazardous," Metservice said.

Aucklanders remaining in alert level 4 restrictions this weekend may want to fit in some outdoor exercise in the morning before the wet weather sets in.

Residents can expect northerlies to become strong in exposed places, with rain from tomorrow morning continuing until Wednesday.

It's a similar situation for those in the capital, where periods of rain and showers are forecast from tomorrow until Tuesday.

Occasional rain and drizzle is expected in Christchurch for the next five days, and the next four for Dunedin, which has a low of 7C forecast as this weekend's overnight temperature.

Rain looks set to ease just in time for the first day of spring next Wednesday.