KEY POINTS:
Keep the brollies out - a warmer, drier spring is coming, but not for another week.
Yesterday's bright weather will give way to rain around most of the country today, with heavy downpours expected in the Coromandel, Bay of Plenty and northwest of Nelson. The West Coast may also get a dose of heavy rain in the middle of the week.
But while most parts of the country will get wet, there's no need to cancel any weekend picnic plans just yet.
MetService forecaster Chris Noble said things were looking promising.
A low-pressure system should bid goodbye on Friday, hopefully clearing the way for a sunny Saturday.
And things are set to get much better over the next three months.
Niwa is forecasting an unusually warm, dry and settled spring.
The calmer weather was due to start this week, but was pushed back by a spell of wintry rain.
Changeable weather will move across the country this week, bringing a jumble of wet and dry patches.
The best places to be will be along the east coast of both islands, as rain arrives from the west.
Mr Noble said Friday would be chilly, as a nippy southerly moved up the country. But the low-pressure system should move off that day - a promising sign for the weekend to come. It's been a sodden winter for much of the country, with Aucklanders needing their umbrellas on 22 days during July.
But the miserable weather has brought spectacular results for snow lovers with many skifields having had their heaviest snowfalls in decades.
And climbers are enjoying some stunning benefits too.
Mountain guide Ian McAlpine, of Mt Taranaki Guided Tours, said there was more snow on upper Mt Taranaki than at any time since the early 1980s.
For those who made it to the top, strong winds and melting and freezing conditions had combined to make cloud-like ice formations.
However, Mr McAlpine warned that only experienced climbers or people with a guide should attempt the climb at this time of year.
