Head to the beach while the weather is still fine this weekend. Photo/file
Hawke's Bay has a fantastic weekend of weather ahead, MetService says.
Most of this week will be fine and sunny, with periods of cloud occasionally.
A front that will move up the country will change winds to southerly and bring a few showers across Hawke's Bay, meteorologist Angus Hines says.
But this will clear on Friday and make way for a mainly fine weekend.
Napier will be overcast but warm on Good Friday, with a high of 23C expected.
Saturday is the pick of the lot in Napier, forecast to be fine and sunny and 25C, while Easter Sunday will be a little cooler, 23C but still sunny.
Gisborne will be much the same, expected to stay warmer than 22C during the day and with the only rain forecast so far being a few showers on Good Friday.
Hastings will mainly be hot and sunny for the whole weekend and a high of 27C is expected on Saturday.
So far this month 99mm of rain has been recorded at Napier Airport, compared with 103mm in the same period last year.
The long-term average is about 61mm so this year and last year have been wetter than average, Hines said.
If you are heading out of town this weekend then be prepared for heavy traffic and delays in places.
The NZ Transport Agency says that at certain times of Good Friday and Easter Monday traffic flows will build from "busy" to "heavy" and travellers are being urged to drive with caution at peak times.
"We will see a lot of people heading into and out of the region to take advantage of the long weekend," said NZTA's Napier journey manager, Oliver Postings.
Using Te Pohue as the point on State Highway 5 between Napier and Taupo, the traffic build-up leaving the region is expected to begin about 8.30am on Friday and be at its heaviest between 9.30am and noon.
Meanwhile, slip clearance work on stretches of SH5 and SH2 north between Napier and Wairoa are set to continue this week and speed restrictions will be in place.
Some delays could be expected.
Road repairs and marking are also taking place at sites on that stretch of SH2 and caution is needed around the slow-moving vehicles involved.
There have been four artists-in-residence at Rinitawa.