More heavy rain and wind will batter New Zealand on Thursday with severe weather warnings in place for parts of the country.
A front is pushing in from the Tasman, and coastal areas of the South Island and the Alps will feel it the most, WeatherWatch's Richard Green told MagicTalk.
"We've got a severe weather warning out with rain across the West Coast and parts of Nelson - this is more leading into tonight," he said.
Canterbury can expect wind gusts of up to 120km/h in inland areas before the rain sets in on Thursday evening.
Green added it could be a "rough ride" weather-wise up until Christmas, and beyond as well.
WeatherWatch forecasts that the "burst of rain" will last until Saturday, with the West Coast expected to receive the brunt of it.
On Friday, almost all of New Zealand will shiver in temperatures several degrees lower than average.
The lower and eastern South Island will have temperatures between 11 and 15 degrees, reports WeatherWatch.
It said this is the second of three cold changes arriving in New Zealand before Christmas Eve, and the high pressure should "calm things down" and warm weather should arrive.
Saturday will be mostly fine, before the rain sweeps across the country again.
"On Saturday it clears again for the most part, ahead of the next burst of wet weather later on Sunday and into Monday," Green told MagicTalk.
