With a big low bringing humid sub-tropical weather this past week, it would make sense to now balance that with an equally big high pressure system. So that’s what we’ve ordered up the country.

New Zealand is not entirely finished with the week-long rain maker. Today, Monday, it’s bringing rain to Christchurch and patchy falls around other parts of Canterbury, especially coastal areas.

On Tuesday this incoming high spreads over the South Island and pushes the last of the showers and patchy rain back up the eastern side of the North Island (making for a dry South Island forecast) and on Wednesday the high pushes into more of the North Island clearing those showers north of Gisborne and East Cape by the end of the day. The rest of the North Island is dry or mainly dry – including those most impacted by flooding.

This means by Thursday the high will cover all of New Zealand from Northland to Southland.

Friday looks similar too – settled and calm in most places.

The upcoming weekend, at this early stage, also looks mostly dry with high pressure dominating.

A big week for plant and pasture growth – and also a good week for drying things out.

– Image / Thursday rain map shows a big protective bubble of high pressure over New Zealand / Weathermap

– WeatherWatch.co.nz