Easter weather: Settled start to holiday weekend before the temperature dives and rain hits

Stormy conditions are likely to take over towards the end of the Easter weekend as a significant weather system makes its way over New Zealand.

Today and tomorrow should be mostly fine, MetService said, but gale-force winds and rain look likely to batter the country from Sunday onwards.

Severe tropical cyclone Harold would continue to track east to southeast over the coming days and would weaken - it would not track over New Zealand.

Meanwhile, those in the Auckland region had also been warned the storm due to hit Sunday-Monday had the potential to cause power cuts.

Good Friday and Saturday would be the best day to have an Easter egg hunt at home, with plenty of sunshine about and a handful of showers for some regions.

What can you egg-spect on Easter Friday? Well it's going to be a cracking day to fry in the garden or scramble around the neighborhood, but remember to keep it local and stay withing your shell - I mean bubble. ^AH pic.twitter.com/tU41dPKflU

— MetService (@MetService) April 9, 2020

Heavy rain is forecast for western areas on Sunday and Monday, with strong gale-force southwesterly winds expected over New Zealand by Monday.

Temperatures were also set to plummet following the end of the long weekend, with snow lowering to 800 metres over southern areas of New Zealand.

"The culprit is a deep trough of low pressure, which moves across the country from the Tasman Sea on Sunday and Monday," MetService meteorologist Peter Little said.

"The trough is preceded by a moist northerly flow, which will bring a period of rain to western parts of the country, and northerly gales to exposed places.

"The heaviest rain is likely in the west of the South Island, and a warning may be issued in the coming days."

After the trough, a strong, cold and wet southwesterly flow would spread over New Zealand.

In the far south, temperatures might only reach maximums of 11C or 12C. Bursts of hail could be expected too.

While tropical cyclone Harold was expected to pass well away from New Zealand, it had caused a lot of damage to Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga.