Kiwis search Trade Me for barbecues, jandals and boats as spring arrives

Kiwis are ready to fire up the barbie, but the weather forecast tells a different story. Photo / File

Kiwis have wasted no time with the arrival of spring - already taking to Trade Me to search for barbecues, jandals and outdoor furniture.

Spring officially arrived last weekend and the search results show people are already planning for the warmer weather.

"We've seen a spike in the number of searches for boats, barbecues, jandals and outdoor furniture as New Zealanders get ready for some sun," said Trade Me spokeswoman Millie Silvester.

"Searches for barbecues jumped 19 per cent on the week prior, with close to 20,000 searches on the first day of spring alone," she said.

Hits for jandals also rose 78 per cent compared to the week before, and outdoor furniture is in hot demand with searches spiking 35 per cent.

There were 4000 searches for shorts on Sunday alone, while searches for boats also jumped 12 per cent.

Boats, barbecues and outdoor furniture were among the top 30 most popular searches in the last seven days.

"There's currently 27,000 listings for jandals, over 32,000 listings for boats and over 32,000 listings for shorts," Silvester said.

But people won't be able to use their summer gear just yet - most of the country is experiencing rainy weather.

Metservice meteorologist April Clark said many parts of New Zealand will keep on getting rain and showers until Saturday, when there will be a "brief reprieve" before another low pressure system moves in on Sunday.

The forecast for Thursday:

Auckland: Isolated showers turning to rain with possible thunderstorms and gales in exposed areas. A high of 18C and low of 10C.

Wellington: Scattered rain with a high of 13C and low of 8C.

Christchurch: Cloudy in the morning with possible showers and drizzle, turning into rain in the afternoon. High of 12C and low of 7C.

Dunedin: Rain in the morning easing into cloudy weather. High of 12C and low of 7C.