After a week of flooding and huge seven-metre swells, the wild weather is set to continue with severe gales and heavy rain forecast to hit the country next week.
Following a settled weekend, a low-pressure system is forecast to drift towards New Zealand by Sunday/Monday, bringing rain to the upper North Island and then more rain to the South Island.
WeatherWatch has forecast that Canterbury, which was lashed with rain and flooding this week, could see at least another 50mm next week.
But the North Island won't miss out on the wet weather next week either, with rain over 100mm predicted in places like western Bay of Plenty and Northland.
WeatherWatch said while the next low isn't a storm, it does work with a powerful high which will help slow it down and boost rainfall totals and wind speeds.
This will cause a "squash zone" of gales in the upper North Island, and frosts and colder weather on Friday and Saturday night, especially in the South Island.
MetService also expects more wild, wet weather to move in early next week.
In Northland on Monday, there is a high confidence for significant heavy rain and moderate for east-to-northeast severe gale winds. A heavy rain watch is in place for Northland from 6pm Sunday to midnight on Monday.
Meanwhile for Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, the western Bay of Plenty and northern Waikato on Monday, there is low confidence for the development of both significant heavy rain and east-to-northeast severe gale winds.
"During Tuesday and Wednesday, the band of rain and strong east to northeast winds continues moving south over central New Zealand, and rain is expected to start increasing in the east of the South Island," MetService reported.
On Tuesday, there is a likelihood for significant heavy rain and east-to-northeast severe gale winds for Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula, the western Bay of Plenty and northern Waikato.
Rain is expected to increase in the east of the South Island, with a low confidence for significant heavy rain in eastern Marlborough, Canterbury and North Otago.
