There's bad news for those heading to the beach this Easter weekend - New Zealand's 'Easter Egg' high may have arrived a touch too early.
Most of the country will experience dry and settled weather underneath a high the shape of an Easter egg from as early as Monday.
However, initial forecasts have a cold front moving up the South Island on Good Friday.
The result is the possibility of rain or showers as people head away for their extended weekend.
"The centre of this large 'Easter egg' high will cross New Zealand this coming Wednesday and Thursday," Weather Watch says.
"[It] then slips off our shores to some degree around Good Friday/Saturday - before high pressure returns again," Weather Watch says.
Saturday is then likely to see that rain activity move north, with 50 percent of the North Island likely to be hit by some wet weather.
By Sunday and Monday, the front would have largely passed the country by with rain or showers. At this point, it's only likely to affect eastern and northern parts of the North Island.
New Zealand continues to cool down after a lengthy summer. On Sunday morning, Auckland experienced its coldest temperature in 183 days when it dropped to 5.4degC.
Whangarei also had a chilly start, NIWA says, plunging to 3.9degC - its joint-third coldest April temperature on record.
Newshub.
