Weather: Winter sunshine for Auckland, rest of New Zealand this week

A jogger makes the most of the unseasonably pleasant winter sun today during a run across the Mission Bay Millennial footbridge. Auckland - and beyond - can expect largely settled weather this week. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Soak up that sunshine, Auckland - you’ve earned it.

Two-thirds of the way through a year in which the city nudged its usual annual rainfall total after just five months, and after a typically dreary mid-year, lashings of sunshine have landed for the last week of winter.

With yesterday’s strong wind watches for much of the North Island now lifted, Aucklanders woke to bluebird skies, light winds and not-too-chilly temperatures of around 10C this morning.

The rest of the working week and into Saturday promises to be similarly spectacular, despite the risk of the odd shower tomorrow and Thursday, according to MetService.

Temperatures will be around 14C to 15C during the day, with a cooler 5C to 6C at night.

Much of the rest of the country is also enjoying the fine spell, with settled weather today and tomorrow across much of the North Island, including Coromandel and Bay of Plenty and Waikato south to Kāpiti, including the central high country.

Daily highs will be in the mid-teens for most.

There will be no weather-related excuse to stay indoors this week, with settled weather expected in Auckland much of this week. Photo / Alex Burton

Showers in Wairarapa and Wellington should clear this afternoon and from Wairoa district north overnight, the national forecaster said.

The South Island remains fine, with morning frosts, although drizzle or light rain is expected to develop tonight in Fiordland and Stewart Island.

Top and bottom - Northland and Southland - could cop showers on Thursday, and there’ll be a few showers in the east of the North Island and the west and south of the South Island on Friday, but it’ll be fine elsewhere, according to MetService.