On Friday a low to the north of NZ makes it’s presence felt for much of the North Island -which will sit under a brisk to strong easterly airflow.
In the South Island, a ridge of high pressure means mainly settled conditions, while high cloud thickens for the upper half of the island, and there’s some overnight rain and showers.

It’s cloudy for all of the North Island, for the lower North Island (Wellington, Kapiti, Wairarapa) this comes in the form of thick high cloud, lowring later in the day.
There’s rain all the way from Northland through to the Central North Island and across to Gisborne, heavy falls for Northland through to the BOP and perhaps Waikato especially afternoon onwards.
Rain could be particularly heavy for Auckland, eastern Northland, Coromandel and western BOP then easing overnight.
Rain spreads a little further south into Taranaki, Hawkes Bay and perhaps the Wairarapa in the evening before moving through to Wellington overnight.
Rain may be heavy for a time about Gisborne, Hawkes bay and the Central North Island from evening then easing overnight.

In the south it’s a fairly settled day, high cloud thickens about the upper South Island with east to northeasterly winds increasing.
A few spells of rain move in overnight anywhere from Nelson through to about Canterbury.

Southland and Otago has the best weather of 2016 so far, shaping up mainly sunny with light winds.
Late isolated showers could form about some hills and ranges of Central Otago, which may result in an isolated heavy fall or two before clearing away later in the evening.

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