Higher temperatures are continuing to hold this afternoon across New Zealand thanks to warm west to north west winds and the next couple of nights are looking warm too – especially in the north says WeatherWatch.co.nz.

Hastings currently has 24 degrees while a number of other northern regions sit on 20.  Auckland was 21 degrees last hour.

In the South Island there appears to be a clear cutoff line for the warm weather with Christchurch on 18 and Akaroa on 20 this hour but just a little further south it’s only 12 degrees in Timaru, Oamaru and Dunedin.

Apart from Canterbury, Southland and Otago most parts of New Zealand are in for two mild to warm nights with some northern regions getting closer to summer time lows.

Tauranga isn’t expected to drop below 15 degrees on Thursday night/Friday morning with Auckland, Hamilton and Whangarei also all in the mid teens.

The warm weather is associated with nor’west winds coming from the sub-tropics and rain clouds moving in from the north west says WeatherWatch.co.nz.

Homepage image / David Hawke