It must be the weekend - as country prepares for another drenching

Rain is on its way this weekend, ushering in a wet second week for the school holidays.

MetService says virtually everywhere except the far south of the country will get a drenching at some stage this weekend.

The wet weather would reach the West Coast of the South Island late today before spreading across the rest of the country.

Rain would bucket down across most of the North Island on Saturday and Sunday.

Niwa is describing the days of wet weather as a slow-moving Tasman storm.

A slow-moving Tasman storm may bring locally heavy rain across the upper North Island & top of South Island this weekend-early next week. pic.twitter.com/bbBVI7eYAd

— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) October 4, 2017

MetService said the north could expect significant totals on Sunday and Monday with Northland, Auckland, Coromandel and Mt Taranaki in the firing line.

Wet weekend for most! Settled weather looks to end this weekend when a low approaches from Tasman Sea. Unsettled trend for next week too ^KL pic.twitter.com/zBchHgyAR6

— MetService (@MetService) October 4, 2017

Much of the South Island would also be in for a drenching with parts of Nelson seeing some of the heaviest falls from Saturday to Monday.

At this stage no heavy rain watches or warnings had been issued but MetService said these were possible for some exposed parts of the country.

Only Southland, Otago and Fiordland will remain under clear skies.

The unsettled weather would continue into next week with rain falling across much of New Zealand.