By air, road or sea - WeatherWatch.co.nz has you covered for getting away this long weekend.

Rain is moving in to the West Coast this long weekend, with a few showers possible in the north and south. Weather conditions will start off warm to hot for most places but by Monday and Tuesday a cooler more Autumn-like sou’wester will move in.

The weather across NZ will be mostly settled this week after rain today on the West Coast fizzles out. A large high will spread across NZ until the long weekend – but a few showers are possible on Good Friday then we may see a Southern Ocean storm just graze NZ bringing wind, rain and showers to a number of regions.

Patches of rain and showers will push across New Zealand on Sunday and Monday bringing relief to some, but only teasing others. Rain will be heaviest along the West Coast of the South Island with the driest weather in the east of the North Island. We also track a cyclone that may impact the North Island on Good Friday.

March 1 marks the official start to Autumn in NZ - but what makes it "official" and why are so many people saying summer still has 3 more weeks to go? We also track any potential rainmakers (a few showers coming in this weekend) and we update you on the sub-tropical low expected north of NZ around mid-March, and how - if it all - it might impact us.

A very large high pressure system means summer will end this week on a mostly sunny and hot note. With nights now about 90 minutes longer than they were back in December expect cooler mornings but still warm to hot days. Little in the way of rain but showers are possible in the North Island's north east and in the Deep South.

It's the last official weekend of summer but there are no signs of summer weather easing anytime soon with a dry weekend moving in and a dry, settled, week next week. So, how much longer do we have to wait for rain? Philip Duncan takes a look at conditions around NZ and our part of the world.

A very big high pressure system is on the way for the next week, ending the cooler south west flow that's continued this week. We also look to the tropics for a possible tropical low in 7 to 10 day's time.

We take a look at the cooler south west flow pushing in across the country - but also warmer weather is the on the way with one model predicting a rain maker at the end of this month/start of March. Fingers crossed! We also show you video and a fantastic photo from the Vatican City, just hours after the Pope resigned lightning hit the Vatican twice…we have the video and photo.

Cooler weather is on it's way for many areas of the country due to a south west change.

Philip Duncan takes a look at the weekend weather and it looks sunny and warm for most - but are we heading into a slightly cooler phase? We also take a look at a Canadian city which is experiencing daytime highs between -18 and -40C.

We look out the conditions for Waitangi Day 2013, rain, wind, temperature and we check the swells around NZ's beaches.

Rain is pushing into many western and central areas today - with heavy falls expected across many dry farms and gardens. However not all of New Zealand will receive rain - we break down the rain maps in more detail than we usually do over the next 48 hours - plus we look at Waitangi Day weather.

One high departs but another is hot on its heels - and in between there is a moderate chance of rain, especially for the middle of the country. In this weekend's weather video we also have detailed swell and heat maps for Saturday - plus we take a close look at Monday's predicted rain map and which regions are most likely to see some of the wet stuff.

We track the first large rain band in three weeks as it heads towards western and hopefully northern New Zealand next week. We also look at a tragic international story unfolding in which hundreds of thousands of innocent children are forced to live in refugee camps during a brutal winter - and you can help.

Australia gets soaked and NZ continues to dry out this week - however as January draws to a close some rain clouds are appearing on the horizon for the first week of February. We'll tell you what the chances of rain are over the next week and who has the best chance of receiving it!

Most of NZ is in for a very dry end to January. There will be a few showers about. So we'll track that - and we take a look at the coming weekend forecast…which also looks pretty good for the most part, but is that another tropical low forming?

Winter like temperatures have greeted some people on Friday morning but the heat returns across the weekend and into next week as our springlike weather pattern starts to calm down significantly. Summer will lock itself in across the north and east, while those in the south will still see unsettled weather - but it should improve significantly on this past week!

As parts of Australia climb to 40 degrees on Thursday some parts of New Zealand will only reach the low teens, all created by the same big high in the Tasman Sea. The next few days look windy, showery or cold for a number of regions - with even a few showers for the dry east, although nothing substantial for most eastern areas.

The unsettled spring-like weather pattern continues as we reach the halfway point of January. The week ahead looks changeable with hot and cooler weather, but generally speaking things will be a little cooler this week. Also, we track a tropical cyclone that hugs western Australia - but then helps fuel a storm closer to Antarctica and the South Island this Friday and Saturday - watch the video for this odd story!

The weather we've been having for the past 5 weeks is what a "fairly average summer" in New Zealand looks like.

Another surge in 40+ degree heat for much of Australia this Friday, while some heat will cross into eastern NZ pushing the mercury above 30 degrees. We still have a 'spring like' weather pattern for some, mostly the West Coast, Southland and Otago - we have more details on that, while the upper North Island remains mostly settled and dry.

Philip Duncan takes a look at why conditions around New Zealand are so changeable this summer, why it's windy, when or if the wind will ease, how busy are the tropics and why this big heat wave is in Australia.

Seems weird but we do have a spring-like weather pattern at the moment defined by surges of very windy weather, plenty of westerlies and a shortage of long lastinghighs. Great news for farmers, but a little more challenging for holidaymakers.

No matter how you slice it summer has arrived - though it's been far from perfect for some parts of NZ

We take a look at the final days of 2012 weather wise and how New Year's Eve and Day are currently shaping up. Plus, a new tropical cyclone forms north of New Zealand and one model is picking it could be another Evan, including reaching NZ and fizzling out - but not all models agree. We weigh up the odds.