If you’re planning to celebrate New Year’s Eve outdoors, 1News meteorologist Dan Corbett has one piece of advice: keep the raincoat handy.
A stubborn low-pressure system is spinning over the country, feeding in moisture and triggering torrential rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, but he said there were still a few spots where you might escape the worst of it.
"The weather is going to be doing one of these roller coaster rides over the next few days," Corbett said.
"You're going to want to keep that raincoat handy, you'll have the sunglasses, but it's going to be more so the raincoat, unfortunately."
The far south, Fiordland and parts of Southland, looked to be the best bet for relatively dry weather as 2025 ticks over into 2026, he said.
"You might do a little bit better down there. You’ll still see some showers, but not all day."
Elsewhere, it’s a different story. Gisborne could see 100–200mm of rain, with flooding risks for Eastern Bay of Plenty and Hawke’s Bay.
Heavy, persistent rain was forecast to sink slowly south and east over the coming days, reaching central New Zealand by Tuesday. Strong southeasterly gales were also sweeping across the North Island and northwest South Island, with warnings for Coromandel, Waikato to Taranaki and Taihape, and Manawatū south to Kapiti. High-sided vehicles, including campervans, should take extra care.
The low would linger through Tuesday and into New Year’s Eve, bringing showers and thunderstorms to many regions.
"Think of that pot on the stove — the bubbles go like that. Those are showers and thunderstorms," Corbett said.
Places like Auckland and Northland may be dry when the clock strikes midnight, but showers are likely throughout the day. Nelson and the upper South Island could see showers throughout the evening.
"Getting ourselves into the first day of 2026 - you guessed it. Keep the raincoat handy as the cloud bubbles up in the afternoon, there will be some showers," Corbett said.
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