Holidaymakers will enjoy blue skies and little rain

Photo / Alan Gibson

Auckland and Northland Anniversary holidaymakers are in for a settled weekend before rain makes a brief appearance.

MetService forecaster Peter Smith said the weather should mimic the pattern of the past week and would be good for those heading to the beach.

"Generally speaking there should be lots of blue skies. We're expecting it to be like the last couple of days, quite fine, maybe a few showers popping up in the afternoon."

There could be some heavy showers in the Waitakere Ranges but these wouldn't spread through the city.

However, Northland farmers wishing for a soaking will be out of luck. While there's a possibility of showers on the eastern coast they're likely to be isolated and nothing to get excited about, Mr Smith said.

Monday was looking wetter for the region, if only for a brief period, he said. "The long weekend looks like its going to end a bit greyer with rain but that should be over by Tuesday."

Weatherwatch's Philip Duncan said winds would also be fairly strong at times in exposed places on the Coromandel Peninsula and Northland.

However, those travelling should keep a close eye on forecasts as the rain system coming down from the tropics could keep conditions changeable, he said.

The MetService issued a heavy rain warning for the Gisborne ranges and northern Hawkes Bay for today and Sunday and warned that people should watch for rapidly rising rivers and streams.

A southeasterly weather pattern could drench the region with about 80mm-120mm of rain, with the heaviest falls likely this evening.

Thunderstorms are also possible in the region.