Wellington residents will need to batten down the hatches as the city is slammed by gale-force winds over the next week.
Stormy weather in the Southern Ocean will send strong winds tearing across the South Island and lower North Island - and Wellington will bear the brunt of it.
Winds could reach over 120km/h in the more exposed areas of the region from Sunday through to next Tuesday, WeatherWatch warns.
And MetService says there is a one-in-five chance the wind will reach "severe gale-force" in Wellington, Dunedin, North Otago, the Canterbury Plains and Christchurch.
In Fiordland, Stewart Island, Southland and Clutha, there is a two-in-five chance that winds will reach severe gale-force speeds.
There is an end in sight - from next Tuesday, high pressure will roll in and calm the weather across the country.
But until then, the wind will be a constant companion in a wild and blustery week.
