Moving further south and the dry conditions continue despite early cloudy conditions from Taranaki through Whanganui and down to Wellington, but this should clear by the afternoon.

A high of 21C is expected in Wellington, but cloud should be returning in the evening alongside strong northwesterlies.

The South Island will be hit by most of the wet weather this weekend, particularly on the West Coast.

A heavy rain warning has been placed on Fiordland for 26 hours from 11pm this evening to 1am Monday.

Up to 240mm of rain is expected in the region during this period, with peak rates of up to 30mm/h expected Sunday evening.

MetService has warned streams and rivers could rise rapidly and surface flooding, slips and difficult driving conditions are possible.

On Sunday, the fine weather continues for the North Island while the South Island continues to be hit with heavy wet weather in the west and a few spots of rain elsewhere.

Moving in to Monday, some isolated inland showers might appear in the North Island while rain in the South Island starts to spread north and clear in the south.