A wintry day saw strong winds, heavy showers and some thunder roll through northern New Zealand while cloudy and chilly skies saw thermometers struggle to rise into double figures over much of the mainland.

Tonight, thunderstorms are a possibilty for northerners as westerlies pick up a bit of biffo whereas down south, conditions should gradually ease slowly but with temperatures not warming up too much.

Northland and Auckland saw the mercury climb into the mid teens but conditions were far from pleasant. Over the mainland the weather was a little more stable but still showers peppered some eastern regions with snow over higher altitudes in Marlborough and Canterbury.