North Canterbury is looking like the place to be on Christmas Day, if you can't make it to the North Island.
Temperatures are set to soar in Darfield, which is expected to reach 30degC.
MetService meteorologist Ciaran Doolin says it will be a scorcher - no matter where you are.
"For most parts across the country it'll be mid to late 20s."
But when it comes to the sun, it's a tale of two islands.
"The better weather generally will be in the North Island," he says. "That's not to say that there won't be large parts of the South Island that will have a pretty good day for the most part."
A wet front is set to move up the South Island in the morning, reaching Christchurch by the evening.
"The far south - central Otago, West Coast, Fiordland - they are likely to see sustained rainfall throughout the course of the day, worse in the west than the east."
WeatheWatch is predicting similar conditions, with a "late cool southerly" spreading across the South Island as the day goes on, reaching Canterbury by nightfall.
"Hottest areas during the day will be in the east like Canterbury, Marlborough and Hawke's Bay where temperatures may reach 30degC," it said on its site.
"Wettest will be on the West Coast with some heavy rain.
Some showers are likely in the North Island too, some may be heavy later in the day around Central Plateau or some of the ranges."
A cold front in the Tasman may make it a wet Christmas Day for our friends in Sydney, however.
If you're determined to stay out of the rain, WeatherWatch's pick is Nelson.
"Christmas Day is shaping up to be a good one for many parts of New Zealand. but certainly a few moving parts to keep an eye on."
Newshub.
