Good new for holidaymakers flooding on to the roads and heading home this Sunday - the weather is expected to dry out and make their road trips that much safer.
On the other hand, it's likely to be frustrating for many to see the sun only show its face once the school holidays end.
Rainy, unsettled weather has repeatedly hit New Zealand this holiday period with further showers and possible heavy rain and thundery blasts expected across most of the country today and tomorrow.
However, forecaster MetService expects conditions to largely clear up by Sunday and through the early part of next week.
Bit of a rainy Friday on the cards, lingering on Saturday 🌧️
Auckland is expecting mainly fine skies on Sunday with a top of 15C.
This will come after morning rain with a chance of heavy rain and thunder today and further showers tomorrow before the weather begins to clear by evening.
Whangarei can also expect possible thundery rain today that will eventually clear up on Sunday when the city could hit a mostly dry high of 16C.
Tauranga's weather should clear by tomorrow afternoon with fine spells and highs of 15C-17C expected to continue right through next week.
Further south Wellington isn't expected to be hit heavy rain today as it heads for a high of 14C. However, the capital is expecting showers on Sunday morning before eventually clearing to fine spells and a top of 13C.
— WeatherWatch.co.nz (@WeatherWatchNZ) July 17, 2019
In the South Island, rain is tipped to set in today in Christchurch and continue on through the weekend before slowing to occasional showers on Sunday with a high of 12C.
By Monday, the city should experience longer periods of fine weather.
Dunedin can likewise expect persistent rain through to the end of the school holidays with the showers eventually clearing on Monday.
The city is expected to hit a top of 12C on Sunday.
This satellite image shows the next weather system set to affect NZ from late tonight & into the weekend. See the defined western edge of front which indicates a change from rain & strong northerlies to showers. How will this system affect your area? https://t.co/hnwmGxU1gR ^AC pic.twitter.com/WZnIMwcdvI
Skiers are likely to feel especially bitter about next week's fine weather as it comes too late for those who have been on school holidays.
For Fiona Sykes and her kids this has been the worst ski season in a decade. They arrived at the North Island's Mt Ruapehu skifields last Sunday but only managed to get on to the slopes yesterday after staff spent the morning de-icing the chairlifts.
The family came to the North Island skifields in the second week of winter's school holidays almost every year, because the first week was typically awful weather, she said.
This year they were set to head home early because of wet weather forecast for today and tomorrow.
Skiers tried to make the most of the awful conditions at Turoa Ski Area on Mt Ruapehu on Wednesday. Constant rain has been causing problems for the skifields over the holidays. Photo / Alan Gibson
Sunday's weather outlook
Whangārei: Cloudy periods. Chance shower. Southwesterlies. High 16C, Low 7C
