Weather

The cool and wet start to the new year will persist into the weekend for much of the motu.

A low pressure system is expected to bring unsettled weather to central and northern parts of the country.

Emily Rutherford says the app keeps reporting the temperature in her part of Central Otago is up to 5C cooler than MetService predicts - and even that is underestimating the summer heat.

Wild holiday weather has left Cook Strait ferry passengers bracing for a rough ride, and some New Year's Eve crossings cancelled.

Weather woes, a troubled health system and issues affecting Māoridom not only dominated headlines - they were among the year's most memorable images.

Much of the North Island will be wet and windy to see out 2024.

A recent drone assessment of beaches at Tolaga and Tokomaru Bays showed them to be relatively free from new slash.

Metservice meterologist John Law says a tornado is "definitely not out of the question".

Four brigades and two helicopters were sent to locate the fire in Onamalutu.

The unsettled weather will continue over much of country on Tuesday, with parts of the North and South Island likely to get off to a soggy start.

Forecasters are expecting heavy rain and thunderstorms around Gisborne, where 17,000 people are camping out for the annual festival.

All patrolled beaches in Gisborne have closed as the popular New Year's music festival kicks off in soggy conditions.

Gisborne District Council chief scientist Murry Cave said it was disappointing the waterways have been clogged again.

Some households in rural north Auckland have been without power for more than 24 hours after high winds brought down trees and branches onto power lines.

However, showers are expected to persist until early Sunday morning.

An interisland ferry passenger has been injured and cars have been damaged during a rough Cook Strait crossing this morning.

Much of the country can look forward to brighter skies this weekend, with temperatures into the 30s expected for Central Otago for Saturday.

A band of low pressure is bringing stormy weather to the motu, and Interislander ferry passengers are being warned to expect delays.

A Dunedin man with a learning disability is spending Christmas Day cooped up inside a motel, as the date to move back into his flood-damaged house keeps being pushed back. Video

Authorities are urging people to avoid all non-essential travel through areas with an "extreme" level of bushfire risk on Boxing Day.