Rain eased in Gisborne overnight and surrounding roads reopened after flooding and slips caused evacuations.

MetService forecaster Peter Smith said the weather should mimic the pattern of the past week and would be good for those heading to the beach.

Residents living south of Auckland are being warned to brace themselves for a stormy night.

Heavy rain and possibly even thunderstorms are forecast for southern parts of Auckland today.

Unsettled conditions could mark a turning point for our summer weather, forecasters say.

Simon Power confirms the MetService is negotiating with the BBC to provide some forecasting services.

A short-sharp barrage of rain and hail pummelled Invercargill today leaving the city looking like a scene from mid-winter.

A vigorous front which has hammered the lower South Island with high winds and rain will attack central parts of the country today.

Kiwis basked through the warmest winter in 150 years and shivered through the coldest spring in decades - all during a year of weird weather.

This Christmas is predicted to be the fairest of the decade, and hot, dry conditions are expected to last almost until the New Year.

The Christmas exodus of people leaving Wellington has created a state of "absolute bedlam" on roads leading out of the city, police say.

Mainly settled temperatures in the low 20s and light seabreezes are predicted for for Christmas Day.

Hailstones the size of marbles fell from the sky as thunderstorm season begins in Canterbury.