A large anticyclone in the Tasman Sea spreads over New Zealand today. A front pushes northwards over the South Island during Saturday, reaching the lower North Island in the evening.

Mostly sunny for the western North Island today as the flow tends south to southeast, cloudier skies in the east with the odd light shower or drizzle patch. A mix of sun and cloud for most of the South Island, the east coast is fairly cloudy but sun starts to break through from afternoon.

A mix of sun and cloud for the upper / western North Island on Saturday, there may be the odd shower about also with northwesterly winds tending southwest during the afternoon. Mainly sunny conditions for the east coast. Morning rain about Southland / Otago then easing to showers and dry spells from afternoon. Dry at first further north for the South Island then showers push northwards during the afternoon with a southwest change. Nelson has a mainly dry day.

By Weather Analyst Aaron Wilkinson – WeatherWatch.co.nz