Aucklanders woke to 6.1C at the airport and 7.9C at Takaparawhau/Bastion Point, while Tauranga recorded 6C and Wellington Airport 7C – although it was a biting 2C in Lower Hutt and 1C in Wainuiomata, Bellam said.
Much of New Zealand would remain sunny today and tomorrow thanks to a high pressure system over the country, with blue skies and highs around 15C in Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga, and 13C in Wellington and New Plymouth.
Only parts of the eastern North Island and Wairarapa could expect occasional showers today.
Fog and cloud would keep a lid on highs in some parts of the South Island, including Christchurch – expecting 11C – and especially Central Otago, Bellam said.
“Alexandra, Cromwell, Clyde will be quite cold. Maximums there will be fridge temperatures, so around 4C.”
A front coming across the Tasman Sea through Thursday would “flush out” the cold temperatures and replace them with rain and showers for most.
A westerly flow promised showers for northern and western parts of the North Island, and western and southern parts of the South Island, on Friday, making the best spots for Matariki stargazing eastern locations such as Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay and Canterbury, Bellam said.
The wet weather would then switch to eastern areas, as well as Northland, on Saturday as a southerly change made its presence felt across the country.
“The West Coast of the South Island and into Central Otago will be the best place [weather-wise] for the South Island, and the Bay of Plenty and Rotorua look fine in the north.”
By Sunday, showers were expected in the south of the South Island and Gisborne, but much of the rest of the country should be fine, Bellam said.
