Weekend weather: Rain, sun and showers for North and South Island

New Zealand can expect typical spring weather this weekend, with cold fronts bringing rain to the South Island, which will sweep northwards over Saturday.

MetService meteorologist Clare O'Connor said it would be a wet Saturday for parts of both the North and South islands, with showery south-westerly winds continuing in the South Island.

"These winds come with a bit of a bite and will arrive about the lower North Island Saturday evening."

Sunshine and showers are expected as a handful of outdoor public pools open this weekend, including Auckland's historic Parnell Baths on Saturday - with a high of 21 degrees Celsius - and the Todd Energy Aquatic Centre in New Plymouth (18degC).

Participants in the Auckland Marathon on Sunday could expect cool, cloudy conditions and a high of 17 degrees Celsius.

If you are searching for blue skies, the North Island's east coast is your best bet, with dry conditions all weekend in Napier, with a high of 25degC on Saturday.

Tauranga will see a high of 22degC, with some showers on Saturday.

Wellington and the Marlborough Sounds could see a gusty end to Friday, with winds reaching up to 90kmh. On Saturday, Wellington has a high of 19 degrees Celsius, but that would drop to a chilly 13degC on Sunday.

Further south, heavy rain watches are in place for the northern West Coast ranges on Friday afternoon and evening.

The Tasman mountains could see a period of heavy rain from 6pm-3am, and the Buller and Paparoa ranges also had a heavy rain watch from 2pm Friday to 2am Saturday.

Christchurch can also expect scattered showers on Saturday, with a high of 19degC, dropping to 14degC and drier conditions on Sunday.

On Saturday afternoon, west to southwest gales were forecast to affect coastal parts of Otago, Southland and Stewart Island. The winds may approach severe gale in exposed places.

The MetService issued road snowfall warnings for these South Island routes on Saturday:

• Milford Road (SH94), 5am-5pm Saturday: expect 3-8cm of snow to settle on higher parts in the morning, with lesser amounts down to 400m. Further snow showers are expected above 400m on Saturday afternoon.
• Lindis Pass (SH8), 8am-6pm Saturday: Snow flurries likely above 500m, but little if any snow is expected to settle on the road.

• Crown Range Road, 7am-5pm Saturday: snow showers; 1-2cm of snow may settle on road above 400m.

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