A sunny Easter, but take a brolly

Surf lifesaving rookies Jared Pouwhare, 14, and Kurt Leopard, 14, feel the cold at Takapuna Beach yesterday during the North Region Surf Lifesaving Rookie Challenge. Picture / Brett Phibbs

The optimist's weather outlook for Easter is for fine weather at least half the time and maybe more.

MetService forecaster Andy Downs said while the weather for Easter was difficult to predict, Good Friday at least was forecast to be fine in both the North and South Islands.

"A band of unstable weather could move over the South Island on Saturday or Sunday but the North Island might not be affected until later Sunday or Monday," he said.

"So we're hazarding a guess the weather will be more unstable later into the Easter weekend."

Mr Downs said a low-pressure system, which yesterday brought a disturbed westerly flow with squally showers and even a small tornado to the lower North Island, was likely to move further east by tomorrow.

Some showers would remain in western areas of the North Island and linger a bit longer in eastern and southern coastal parts of the South Island.

By Wednesday the North Island should be mainly fine, cloud should increase in the southwest of the South Island and rain should develop in Fiordland.

On Thursday showers should spread from the southwest of the country up the North Island, reaching Gisborne at night.

Periods of heavy rain were forecast for the west of the South Island with a southwest change.

But a ridge of high pressure should arrive over the country by Friday, meaning showers clearing in the North Island and mainly fine weather down south.

Meanwhile, thundery and squally weather forced a Paraparaumu family to spend the night in a hotel yesterday after the roof of their Kapiti Coast home was ripped off by the tornado around 10.30am.

A section of the roof of the Anthony Grove home became embedded in the roof of the house behind it and the other half blew on to the street.

Windows were broken and the door to a garage blown off.

Paraparaumu Fire Service spokesman Tim Morgan said tarpaulins secured what was left of the roof.