Saturday will be a mostly dry day across New Zealand with high pressure dominating the North Island and north of the South Island, while a west to north west wind flow develops further south – meaning weather conditions heat up in the east.

Rain around Fiordland and South Westland is expected to hang around for much of the day with a weak front heading north later today into Southland and Otago – bringing patchy rain or just a few showers.  On the West Coast the showers or patchy rain may also spread northwards today for a time.

But the ‘high pressure sandwich’ across the country remains – although it has pushed north now with the high more centred over the North Island than central New Zealand. This has allowed the unsettled weather in the Southern Ocean to move northwards into parts of the South Island.

This wind flow will make the hot nor’wester pop up in some areas in the South Island’s east coast.

In the North Island expect sea breezes and a mostly sunny day – the weather for Ironman in Taupo looks mainly sunny with a high in the mid 20s.

Image / Shows the ‘high pressure sandwich’ – high pressure dominates NZ while a rainy wind flow affects both the very top and very south of the country (easterlies at the top, westerlies in the south). This is today’s rain and air pressure map for 1pm / Image via WEATHERMAP

– WeatherWatch.co.nz