PM Jacinda Ardern told media the Government is taking a cautious approach shifting the Wellington region into Alert Level 2. Video / Mark Mitchell

Covid-19 Response Minister Chris Hipkins announces that NZ has surpassed 300,000 vaccines delivered and set new daily records for dosage numbers. Video / Derek Cheng

A look at the recent death toll on New Zealand roads. Video / Nathan Meek

Director general of health Dr Ashley Bloomfield gives details of 23 new Covid-19 cases in MIQ facilities today. Video / Mark Mitchell

Footage shows tsunami waves hitting New Zealand. Video / Claudia Maaka / Waiapu Civil Defence / Gina Pewhairangi / Dean Purcell

New pictures show deserted Whakatane coastlines following tsunami warning after magnitude 8 shake. Video / David Beck

Why there is a major tsunami risk to the east coast of New Zealand.

Thousands of residents across the coastal North Island have evacuated following a tsunami evacuation alert. Video / Karina Cooper / Supplied

What are your chances of actually winning the big one? Video / NZ Herald

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidates answer the important questions. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidates answer the important questions. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidates answer the important questions. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Ikaroa-Rāwhiti candidates answer the important questions. Made with funding from NZ On Air.

Three crash survivors - injured, hypothermic, and terrified - were plucked to safety by helicopter after they were stranded for more than an hour on the mangled wreckage of a car that had plunged into a swollen Masterton river on Saturday morning.

A barn on Rutland Road in Carterton was engulfed in flames shortly before 11pm last night. Firefighters were still at the scene this morning as the blaze persisted and hot spots re-ignited.

A 60-tonne crane from Palmerston North hoists a crippled milk tanker from the side of SH2 after the unladen vehicle was involved in a high speed head-on collision with a car Monday morning. The halved wreckage of the car had been earlier lifted on to the first two trucks viewed in the video.

Our last long weekend in almost half a year is approaching – and typically Queens Birthday Weekend in New Zealand looks a little unsettled – but by no means is it a write off. There are rain and shower risks – mostly in Northland and our western coastline. Here’s a look at the best forecasts out at the moment – and we’ll fine tune this again on Friday with the very latest for the long weekend.

A vet check followed by some annual leave is in store for a police dog who spent a week missing in the bush. The 4-year-old German shepherd disappeared during training in the Tararua Range last Sunday, sparking a frantic search by police. Thames was found about 1pm Sunday afternoon by his handler Constable Mike Wakefield and experienced volunteer searcher John McCann.

Two low pressure systems are moving in towards New Zealand, one coming out of the sub-tropics from the north east and the other coming in from the south west. The two will weaken as they move across the country this week, but it means some who need rain will get it – but the rain predictions for the upper North Island remain patchy and hit and miss. By the end of the week we have another sou’west flow across the country which means the weekend ahead may be a little cooler along our western coastlines, but sunnier and hotter in the east or north east. Don’t forget to also check out our great new animated wind maps in our weather videos.

Donovan Cowley sent nzherald.co.nz this reaction on camera of his daughter Cameryn to today's 6.2 earthquake, she was filming herself when the earth started shaking. Also before Race 11 in the Manawatu, the earthquake is captured in the moments leading up to the start of the race.

A "severe'' magnitude 6.2 quake has damaged homes and closed roads in the lower North Island, toppling walls and chimneys and sending rockfalls across roads. The quake struck 10km north of Castlepoint in Wairarapa, at a depth of 33km, at 3.52pm, GeoNet said. Earthquake data courtesy of geonet.org.nz

Sunny weather has returned to western areas as a large high holds firm over the North Island. Calm and mostly dry weather is in the forecast for the next few days and weekend. However the cloudy weather in the west might return at times later this week and weekend as a light westerly flow develops this weekend. Philip Duncan also discusses the possibility of a rain maker in the last week of the month – but says the models remain conflicted.

The rain makers are mostly giving New Zealand a miss this week and the cloudy, gloomy, weather for some western areas should also clear up as winds shift from the west to the east over much of the North Island. Last weeks rain was hugely welcomed by gardeners and farmers who tell WeatherWatch.co.nz that conditions 10 days ago were drier than they were 12 months ago (ahead of the big drought) – now farmers are smiling as we head towards summer with good grass growth and potentially another rain maker on the horizon before the month is done.

This week has seen a number of torrential downpours and thunderstorms around the North Island – reversing a big and early dry pattern that had started to form. But don’t have false hope – the next couple of weeks look very dry for some regions as high pressure systems sweep in over New Zealand and for the first time in a while we have a large high moving in south of the country.

Head weather analyst Philip Duncan talks about the upcoming forecast around the country.

The forecast this week and weekend looks mostly dry for those celebrating Guy Fawkes. For farmers and gardeners wanting rain in the north, there is a low coming in from the Tasman Sea but it is a bit hit and miss. It will deliver isolated heavy showers perhaps on Wednesday and Thursday for some parts of the North Island and potentially the upper South Island. Temperatures this week look warm… in fact hot for some with highs pushing into the mid 20s.

This weekend is looking sunnier, calmer and drier for the most part as air pressure evens out around the nation. Sunny, warm, weather is expected to kick off the weekend in eastern parts of the South Island where light frosts are even possible. On Sunday temps drop a little across parts of the South Island and showers or rain returns to the lower West Coast. For those desperately wanting rain in the north, there isn’t much in the forecast but a low in the Tasman Sea next week may bring a little wet weather to the north and west of New Zealand.

Another burst of wind and rain is coming to New Zealand this week but unlike last week it wont be as stormy with winds mostly below damaging and rain events fairly short lived. The bulk of the rain will be again falling on the western coastline and again mostly the West Coast. Sunniest will be eastern parts of the North Island while windiest weather will again be central and eastern areas – and possibly Auckland for a time as the sou’west flow returns for the end of the working week.

A lot to cover in this weather video – gales for Wellington, Central NZ and eastern areas. Heavy rain for the West Coast. Hot winds in the north and cool winds in the south. The next few days are dominated by a large low pressure system in the Southern Ocean and will push up a strong west to south west wind flow across New Zealand – which eases late Sunday bringing, hopefully, a fairly settled Labour Day Monday. There may be some cloud in the west and even the odd isolated shower – but for the most part Monday looks to be much calmer for most places.