Major rain on the West Coast is clearing today and the North Island will only get a bit of patchy overnight rain or showers as the weakening front clears New Zealand on Saturday morning.

Behind this is a lot of high pressure that will be centred on either side of New Zealand.

This belt of high pressure will dominate both islands for the entire working week. Most places will be drier than average and a little milder than average. Despite the big dry there will still be daily downpours, mostly inland around the hills/ranges of both islands. They will shift around a bit and are mainly/entirely rural.