Today is a day of all sorts as the long weekend gets underway.

For those wanting to enjoy the great outdoors, the country isn’t rain free with pockets of showers across parts of the North Island however most Mainlanders should experience a dry day with just a shower or 2 clearing away from the north east.

Eastern areas of the North Island should see the remnants of rain from the southerly front drying up this morning with sunshine returning this afternoon however a couple of showers may tickle other parts of the upper North Island with the chance of a shower or 2 being heavy and a rumble of thunder may disturb the peace in isolated areas.

It’s a cool start for some southern and central parts of the nation this morning but temperatures are expected to lift however coastal regions could see temperatures a little below par such as Wellington and Christchurch, as cool winds hang in.

Nelson enjoyed a mild night with 17 degrees recorded at midnight and even the early hours of this morning, the thermometer didn’t drop much below 15 degrees.

We’re picking the west and also inland areas of the South Island to see the most settled conditions today and for those driving on those lovely stretches, visibility should generally be very good to excellent.