A large low in the Tasman Sea is about as big as it will get today and is now drifting towards northern NZ – and will start to weaken slowly.

It will take between and Sunday to track by northern NZ, while southern NZ has more high pressure.

A burst of heavy rain and gales are expected tonight and into Thursday for some regions.

Next week a new weather pattern kicks in – starts as westerlies then turns more wintry southerly for some in the south.