A brief glimpse of sunny spring weather is set to give way to winter's encore.
Weather warnings are in place in the deep South and snowfall is expected on the Dunedin to Waitati Highway on Sunday evening, plus strong wind warnings at both ends of the country.
Snow showers are also possible from Saturday evening to Sunday morning on the Milford Rd State Highway 94, MetService says.
MetService forecaster Gerard Bellam said about 5pm Saturday an active front moving up the North Island had cleared Wellington, spelling bad news for punters at FMG Stadium for the Argentina v All Blacks clash.
"That's going to be a wet, wet night at the rugby in Hamilton tonight," Bellam said.
It should also spell a rainy evening for Auckland but the bad weather will move off as Sunday rolls on.
A lamb enjoys the sun in Auckland's Cornwall Park on the second day of spring. Photo / Alex Burton
In Otago and Southland snow is predicted to fall from 600m to start with down as low as 200m-300m on Sunday. That will affect Fiordland, Southland, and Otago as far north as Dunedin, he said.
Temperatures in the South will linger in the single digits for several days, with a cold trend continuing for a few more bringing forecasted highs of just 6C in Gore and 7C in Invercargill on Monday.
Hadley Manica, 3, gets a close-up look at the tulips thanks to her Poppa Giovanni. Crowds flocked to the Tulip Festival at Eden Garden, Epsom, on Saturday. Photo / Sylvie Whinray
Meanwhile, a low has formed off the coast of southeast Queensland that is heading our way to bring more bad weather, Bellam said.
"That's going to track across the Tasman Sea, and basically spread across the North Island .. during Monday and it'll be gone Tuesday.
"So that's going to bring some more rain and wind to the North Island."
As the low pressure system moves from the north Tasman sea the cold southerly flow will spread up from the South Island.
A heavy rain watch is in place from 9am to 9pm Monday for the north and east of Northland.
People make the most of the sunny weather as they take in the views along Narrow Neck Beach. File photo / Brett Phibbs
At the opposite end of the country there is a strong wind warning for coastal Clutha, Southland and Stewart Island, with a forecast of southwest winds with severe gales gusting 120km/h in exposed places.
That could make driving hazardous and damage trees and unsecure structures, MetService warns.
A strong wind watch is also in place for Sunday for Canterbury High Country, Queenstown Lakes, Central Otago, Dunedin and inland parts of Clutha and Southland, with westerly winds approaching severe gales in exposed places.
Bellam said large sea swells are expected over the first part of the week.
A strong southwesterly from the subantarctic is to blame.
