Opinion: A Kiwi summer is baches, campgrounds, jandals and music - not weather warnings

A Kiwi summer is about baches, jandals and campgrounds - not weather warnings. Photo/Kristin Macfarlane

When I think of a Kiwi summer I think of chilled-out days at the beach, beach hair and jandals.

It's a carefree time when I spend my days off from work enjoying the outdoors, wearing minimal, if any, make-up and trying to cool off from the warm weather.

It's when baches and campgrounds are the only places to be.

What is not a Kiwi summer is severe weather and heavy rain warnings - but since yesterday, those very un-Kiwi summer conditions have been what we've been threatened with.

Rain started falling soon after noon yesterday and by 4.30pm, skies were grey and showers had become stronger.

MetService issued severe weather warnings for parts of the country yesterday as a rapidly deepening low approached New Zealand from the north Tasman Sea, spreading moist and strong winds over northern and central New Zealand, delivering heavy rain and strong winds.

The heaviest rain was expected in Northland, Auckland, Coromandel Peninsula, northern Gisborne, Mount Taranaki, Tongariro National Park, the Tararua Range, Marlborough, Nelson and the Bay of Plenty, prompting a heavy rain warning for all of these areas.

This is not the Kiwi summer most of us are used to and it's definitely not the Kiwi summer I want to see.

I'm hoping the warnings are an overreaction and no one had to deal with weather-related destruction overnight and today.

Instead, I hope the weather warnings become a distant memory and we all get to continue good weather and good times for the rest of the season.