The week's wild weather has well and truly gone with fine conditions today and into the weekend for most.
Almost the entire country today was in for mild, mostly sunny weather, with just some showers on the west coasts of both the North and South Island, MetService meteorologist Micky Malivuk said.
Temperatures across the North Island would be around the mid teens, with the South Island just a couple of degrees cooler.
Auckland was in for a fine day apart from isolated showers in the west, with a high of 16C.
There was a moderate risk of thunderstorms in the eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty, Taupō and Taihape, the ranges of Gisborne and also inland parts of Hawkes Bay this afternoon and early evening.
The 🌧️ and 🌬️ are easing ⬇️ and the 🌡️ is rising ⬆️. See ya later Antarctic blast! 🐧 pic.twitter.com/IL8OdmjS9n
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) September 26, 2018
Any thunderstorms could produce localised heavy rain of 10 to 20mm/h along with small hail.
Tomorrow an active front would reach the lower South Island, bringing rain to the West Coast and Southern Alps, and strong or gale force northwest to eastern areas.
Heavy rain was forecast about Fiordland and parts of Westland on Saturday, continuing in Westland on Sunday, and through the Otago and Canterbury headwaters.
Southern Fiordland and Southland could see some severe gale northwesterly winds on Saturday, and inland parts of Otago and Canterbury from Saturday to Sunday.
The North Island was in for a mostly fine weekend until the front arrived late on Sunday.
Ahead of the front, temperatures across most of the country would bump up a couple of notches with warm northwesterly winds, with the North Island's east coast the place to be.
The front would move northeast across the North Island on Monday, bringing rain to western areas.
Tropical Cyclone Liua formed in the Southwest Pacific near the southern Soloman Islands last night.
Tropical Cyclone #Liua has formed in the Southwest Pacific near the southern Soloman Islands 🌀
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) September 26, 2018
This is the first TC to form during the month of September in the SW Pacific since Tropical Cyclone 02P on 12 Sep 1950 or in 68 years! [data: IBTrACS] pic.twitter.com/JRnWBw2hVO
The category one cyclone was the first to form during the month of September in the southwest Pacific since Tropical Cyclone 02P on September 12, 1950.
Malivuk said the cyclone was forecast to weaken over the weekend, and slowly move southwest into the Coral Sea.
Fine. Southwest breezes. 17C high, 6C overnight.
Fine apart from isolated showers in the west. Southwest breezes. 16C high, 8C overnight.
Long fine spells. Possible shower. Light winds. 16C high, 3C overnight.
Fine. Southwest breeze. 17C high, 6C overnight.
New Plymouth Long fine spells. A morning shower or two. Southwest breezes. 15C high, 7C overnight.
Napier Fine morning. Becoming cloudy this afternoon and showers developing this evening. Light winds. 14C high, 3C overnight.
Whanganui Long fine spells. Westerly breezes. 16C high, 7C overnight.
Wellington Cloudy at times. Northerlies. 14C high, 9C overnight.
Nelson Long fine spells, chance afternoon shower. Light winds. 14C high, 5C overnight.
Christchurch Fine. Light winds. 15C high, 2C overnight.
Dunedin Fine. Northeasterlies developing this afternoon. 13C high, 6C overnight.