Looking forward, a ridge of high pressure will build over New Zealand tomorrow, inviting largely settled conditions for much of the country.
Queenstown surfers caught waves on Lake Wakatipu yesterday. / Supplied by Lydia Clarke
However, a trough is forecasted to linger over the upper North Island in the afternoon, triggering isolated showers from Bay of Plenty to Northland.
Metservice meteorologist Rob Kerr said warm northwesterly winds will rise over the South Island on Saturday as the ridge stalls over the upper North Island.
"Areas of heavy rain are forecast for the West Coast of the South Island, with gales affecting eastern parts of the South Island and lower North Island," he said.
"The warm air blown in by the northwesterlies parks up over New Zealand on Sunday, and temperatures across the country are expected to soar, with many places expected to break the 30°C barrier during the afternoon.
"The high humidity is likely to mean some uncomfortable nights as we start the working week, with minimum temperatures around 20°C for many places."
The hot weather isn't set to subside after the weekend either, WeatherWatch.co.nz forecasting many regions to have daily highs between 27 and 32C.
Many people will seek refuge from the heat at our beaches this weekend. Photo / File
Next week looks to be consistently warmer than this week but another cool period is due in the deep south towards Thursday afternoon or Friday.
Those heading outdoors throughout the country over the next of days are advised to fine shade, drink plenty of water and apply amble-amounts of sunscreen.
Metservice predicts fine weather for both the Black Clash at Hagley Oval in Christchurch tomorrow and the Black Caps ODI at the Bay Oval on Saturday.
Elsewhere across the ditch, Australia remains to sweat as an extreme heatwave brings temperatures of up to 45C across some parts.
Earlier this afternoon, Adelaide broke an 80-year heat record when the mercury hit a scouring 46.2C.
WeatherWatch.co.nz's hottest places from Sunday, through next week
