Snow, heavy showers and hail are expected during the weekend - with forecasters predicting icy weather to send temperatures plummeting for New Zealand's coldest weekend of the year yet.
Weather Watch analyst Richard Green said snow was expected to fairly low levels across Otago, Southland, the Canterbury foothills and Banks Peninsula.
North Islanders would feel the brunt of the bad weather on Sunday, with westerly flows expecting to bring showers across the western and northern districts.
"It's easy to forget that Saturday will actually see some wet stuff over the upper north but further south it'll be quite warm in the east with the 20s more than a possibility," Mr Green said.
"But often when the thermometer is above 20 degrees at this time of year it's what follows that can make some people nervous as a wintry spell tends to follow."
