Weather: New Zealand wakes up to cooler temperatures as cold front sweeps the country

New Zealand is waking up to cooler temperatures after a week of scorching weather.

On Friday morning, MetService had Whangārei as the warmest place in the country at 20C, while Queenstown was the coldest – not even touching double digits at a frigid 5C.

Despite the cooler temperatures, much of the country is expected to have a clear day – although places like Wellington, Fiordland and Otago can anticipate some clouds and drizzles which will clear into the afternoon.

For Auckland and Northland, the weather will be mostly fine with the chance of a few isolated showers here and there – it's a similar story with Waitomo, the Coromandel and Taupō.

The drop in temperatures is a welcome relief after swathes of the country were smacked with scorching days and sweltering nights in the first week of 2022 – MetService says a cool front is moving across Aotearoa bringing with it a trail of southerlies that will sweep cooler air over most of the country today.

Auckland will be mostly fine with the chance of a few isolated showers. Photo / Dean Purcell

The eastern South Island gets the full force of that cool change, with maximum temperatures in the mid-teens expected today compared to the mid-20s of earlier in the week.

But these cooler days won't last, with a high-pressure ridge coming in on Saturday which is expected to drive the temperature back up to the mid-20s.