The weather isn't done with 2021 just yet as rain builds up on Sunday in Fiordland and Westland - and MetService warns by the end of Tuesday, almost all reaches of Aotearoa will have had some wet weather.
Boxing Day itself looks good for people heading off for their holidays with warmer-than-average conditions across all parts of the nation.
"Cloud cover in some areas - and rain clouds building in the lower west of New Zealand - means some places won't be overly hot, but should still lean a little milder than what is normally recorded on this date," WeatherWatch says.
"For those heading away on holiday the weather will be ideal with dry weather in most regions - although an isolated shower or two may be possible during the day in both main islands (but very isolated)."
But then the rain returns, with almost all the country forecast to get some wet weather by the end of Tuesday.
"Starting tonight, a band of heavy rain will move over the South Island, producing over 100 mm for parts of the Southern Alps," NIWA says.
"We may even see some significant spill-over rain for parts of the Canterbury Plains!"
MetService has issued heavy rain watches and warnings for the west coast of the South Island, which should get the bulk of the rain.
"However, the northern half of the North Island is one to keep an eye on into Tuesday as a low drifts down from the north and brushes the area with wet weather," MetService says.
This could bring a brief period of heavy rain to the far north of the North Island.
"There is low confidence of rain amounts reaching warning criteria in the for north and east of Northland, Great Barrier Island, Coromandel Peninsula, eastern ranges of Bay of Plenty, and in Gisborne about the inland ranges and north of Tokomaru Bay," MetService adds.
