Snow fell in the Central Otago town of Naseby today as a cold snap worked its way up the South Island.
Temperatures are set to dip across the country this weekend, and many places would find the morning fine but chilly.
MetService meteorologist John Law said sprinkles of snow were possible overnight on Friday in the high country of Canterbury and Otago.
The South Island would be waking to a chilly, clear, autumnal Saturday, with temperatures in inland parts as low as 2 to 3ºC, he said.
Further north, the cooler temperatures would continue with a high of 16ºC for Wellington and 19ºC for Auckland. Tauranga was forecast to be the warmest on Saturday at 21ºC.
Most of the North Island would be dry, fine and sunny after some early showers in southern Taranaki and the Mahia Peninsula.
There was no end in sight for farmers suffering from drought in Marlborough, Tasman and Nelson. The top and east coast of the South Island were expected to stay "incredibly dry", Law said, and there was a moderate risk of fire.
"From Nelson, right the way down towards Dunedin it'll be clear, cold and probably a little bit chilly first thing for many spots, but that will be improving as we head through the daytime - [with] some nice spells of sunshine and generally dry weather for many spots," he said.
This morning the Canterbury plains and coast moved from a prohibited to a restricted fire season. A Fire and Emergency NZ permit is required before lighting an outdoor fire. The rest of the region remained under an outdoor fire ban.
Sunday would be fine and dry across both islands, with increasing cloud and a few showers possible through Canterbury and the Southern Alps.
- ODT and RNZ
