Southerners fried in the Christmas day sun yesterday and a number of centres topping the 30 degree mark, with Dunedin taking the top notch high of 32 degrees.

Blenheim, Ashburton and Darfield all climbed to the low 30s which made the big day rather uncomfotable but the nor’ wester wasn’t too strong in most places.Temperatures were in the low 20s in Dunedin, Timaru and Ashburton overnight.

The sunshine looks set to cover most of the North Island yet again today which should make any outdoor events ideal. The warmest spots appear to be in northern, central and eastern areas.

The mainland doesn’t look quite so promising but most of Nelson, Marlborough and north and central Canterbury should see a mainly dry day. Elsewhere, damp conditions are likely at some point with a cooler southerly change spreading into eastern areas.