Waiouru has dipped below the freezing mark this morning while Dunedin, Queenstown and Manapouri are sitting on zero.

Levin and Taupo are also chilly on 3 degrees but the payoff for much of the country is a sunny and cool autumn day.

Winds should gradually ease in the north and east with Gisborne seeing the last of the showers drying up.

Tonight is likely to be cool in central and northern areas whereas a mildish northerly with cloud is expected to keep temperatures above freezing in the south. Tomorrow this cloud band should head north and behind it, a cooler sou’ west change should make its way across two thirds of the mainland.