Weather washout: Heavy rain could put a dampener on Queen's Birthday weekend

Queen's Birthday weekend could be a washout with heavy rain set to drench holiday hotspots across the top half of the North Island.

Heavy rain falls are expected to soak the Bay of Islands, according to WeatherWatch, and will put a dampener on those holidaying in the upper North Island, West Coast and Nelson region.

Hawke's Bay, Canterbury and Otago are the driest places to be during the long weekend.

"There will be a little bit of rain - but not much at this stage," the forecaster said.

The weekend kicks off with light drizzles, but heavier downpours will then slowly track east over the upper North Island with Sunday and Monday set to be the wettest days.

Strong winds in various parts of both islands could also be on the cards.

Those in the South Island may want to rug up on Saturday as some places are expected to be very windy with gales possible. The rain will increase in the West Coast later in the day, becoming heavy.

The wetter weather affecting North Island holiday hot spots popular with Aucklanders is caused by a fairly weak low in the Tasman Sea area tapping into moisture-rich sub-tropical air flows behind the departing high, the forecaster said.