Rock fans brave chill for charity
As Easter weekend approaches a brisk night in Christchurch wasn’t going to turn away thousands of music fans eager for one of the biggest concerts of the year.
Dave Dobbyn opened the benefit concert You Are Us/ Aroha Nui with a rendition of his song Welcome Home.
Other performances last night included Lorde, Jon Toogood’s The Adults, former Opshop frontman Jason Kerrison and Sol3 Mio.
Upwards of 20,000 people were expected at last night’s event, despite temperatures dropping below 10C, after 12,000 turned out for the Auckland-held event on Saturday night.
All proceeds from the benefit concerts will go to the Our People, Our City fund, set up to help those affected by the Christchurch terror attacks.
Fine weather can be expected leading into the weekend, but rain jackets might be needed for Sunday.
A high-pressure system has planted itself over the country for the past few days and is set to linger before a front sets in over the weekend.
However, MetService meteorologist Claire Nickson told the Herald those in the north, Auckland included, were likely to have a reasonably good weekend.
“[The north is] going to have a nice fine day and on Friday as well. But as we head later into the weekend we do have a front approaching,” Nickson said.
“Saturday you’ll get a bit more cloud coming in with a chance of a shower. Sunday, that will increase, a bit more cloud, a few more showers.
“Monday is when the actual front will be over you guys. You’ll get a period of rain and then it will turn to showers once the front moves over.”
Before the weekend, there will be plenty of sunny, dry weather across most parts, apart from a couple of showers hitting the upper North Island today.
The Auckland area is set for another fine and settled day with temperatures to reach a high of 20C with easterly breezes.
Meanwhile, Good Friday will be fine for most of the country, but the front moves over Fiordland and southern Westland later in the day bringing rain.
The wet weather then spreads northwards over the South Island on Saturday with the North Island set to be mostly dry but cloudy over the lower half.
Road-safety organisations are imploring motorists to plan ahead and not take risks over Easter weekend.
Niclas Johansson, from NZ Transport Agency, said this year Easter Monday, Anzac Day and school holidays all fell in the same week, which meant it was likely to be extra busy on the roads.