The rain arrives on Friday, in the form of a massive low pressure system covering the entire width of the Tasman Sea, stretching from southeastern Australia over to New Zealand.

A strong southeasterly airflow lies over the North Island as a result, while there’s rain in many places – falling heavily at times.
The East Coast is looking wet, from Gisborne to Wairarapa, with occasional heavy falls.
Cloudy areas and the odd shower persist elsewhere over the North Island, along with long dry spells too.

It’s mostly sunny for a change on the South Island’s West Coast, with breezy east to southeast winds, and high cloud about North Westland.
Canterbury and Marlborough see cloudy skies and the odd light shower, while there’s a few light snow flurries too in some parts of Canterbury.
Some cloud hangs around coastal Otago, while it’s mostly sunny elsewhere about Otago and Southland – with east to northeasterly winds.

– Aaron Wilkinson & Drew Chappell, WeatherWatch.co.nz