Holidaymakers are warned to watch out over the rest of Queens Birthday weekend as heavy rain and strong wind make their way over to popular tourist spots including the Coromandel, West Coast and Northland.
There's a plethora of watches in place across the country as a trough lies over the South Island on Sunday and an associated low moves over the upper North Island on Monday.
According to MetService, these features will be bringing with them periods of heavy rain to the west and north of the South Island and to the upper North Island as well as strong east to northeasterly winds for Northland and northeastern parts of Auckland.
While most places won't see wild weather for Queens Birthday weekend, WeatherWatch says our well-known tourist spots will. The West Coast, Nelson, Northland and Coromandel Peninsula possibly getting some heavy rain and strong winds over the next four or five days.
Metservice Meteorologist Angus Hines says while "almost everyone" in the North Island will get some rain on Sunday the worst of it will hit Northland.
"If you're north of Lake Taupō on Sunday, anticipate a wet and windy day. The worst of the rain and the worst of the wind will be Northland, Coromandel, Great Barrier, perhaps Auckland and perhaps parts of Bay of Plenty.
"But it really is the northern part of the country seeing the most significant weather."
Northland has a heavy rain watch in place from 6am Sunday to 6am Monday, it's expected to see periods of heavy rain with a chance of rainfall amounts approaching warning criteria.
There is also a strong wind watch in place from 6pm Sunday to 3am Monday, it's possible northeast winds may become severe galse in exposed places.
The east coast of the North Island will also see large waves rolling in.
Hines says the "key message is if you're going on holiday for the long weekend those spots that look pretty appetising on Saturday are not going to stay nice through the entire weekend."
Auckland has a strong wind watch in place from 9pm Sunday to 9am Monday, winds could reach severe gales in exposed places.
The southern half of the North Island will have a mostly cloudy, windy Sunday with a "few showers around the capital but dry for eastern places and probably dry around Manawatu," Hines says.
The South Island started the weekend off with more rain for the west and north which is gradually clearing on Saturday afternoon.
Hines says there is a "little bit of rain" forecast through Canterbury, Kaikoura and Marlborough for Sunday and it could have a "big impact" on already waterlogged areas.
"It's not gonna be all that much but it's just so sensitive to rain down there after the deluge last weekend. So even if you're only getting 10mm or so, which is kind of about the amount we're looking at for that part of the country, [it] could have a pretty big knock-on impact for waterways and waterlogged areas."
There's a strong wind watch in place for Canterbury High Country from 9am Saturday to 11pm Saturday, winds may approach severe gale in exposed places.
Buller and Westland from Otira Northwards have a Heavy rain watch in place from 9pm Saturday to 1pm Sunday.
At the bottom of the South Island Hines says Sunday is looking "generally bright" but a little cool.
Inland Southland, Southern Lakes and Central Otago have a strong wind watch in place from 9:07am Saturday to 9pm Saturday.
Fiordland has a strong wind watch in place from 9am Saturday to 4pm Saturday and a heavy rain watch from 10am Saturday to 4pm Saturday
Metservice says there is "high confidence" that rainfall warnings will still be needed in parts of Nelson and western Marlborough come Monday.
And there's no sign of wild weather easing for Northland with Metservice predicting a "moderate" chance a rainfall warning and "low" chance a wind warning will be needed on Monday.
For eastern parts of Auckland, including Great Barrier Island, there is a "moderate" chance severe gales will need a warning on Monday.
While holiday hotspot Coromandel Peninsula is "moderately" likely to see a rainfall warning required from Monday to Wednesday.
