Easter skies ideal to let your hare down
Thrillseekers young and old have been out enjoying the Royal Easter Show and there’s more sunshine to come this long weekend after today’s cloudy skies clear.
Plenty of Aucklanders who hadn’t left the city for the holiday weekend headed instead to the ASB showgrounds in Greenlane to enjoy the fairground rides and inflatable slides. The show runs until Monday and Aucklanders can expect mostly fine days over the weekend marred only by some cloud today and a few showers this afternoon.
That’s good news too for children eager to find some Easter eggs tomorrow. But parents may need to stock up today as most supermarkets will be closed tomorrow. Some dairies, takeaway bars and pharmacies will be open.
A cold front moving up the country today will hit the South Island first, bringing showers and wind with it, but will clear in time for Easter Sunday.
MetService meteorologist Claire Flynn said the North Island weather wasn’t looking too bad.
“There’ll be a bit of cloud around and light showers around the top of Northland, but that front isn’t really reaching the North Island until later in the day.”
It’s looking relatively fine for both the North and South Island Sunday to Monday — sunny enough for Easter egg hunts to take place in the garden.
A high moves over the country early tomorrow which will bring more settled weather to most areas. Flynn said Auckland and holiday hotspots in Northland, Coromandel and Gisborne could expect a few showers early in the morning but it would become fine.
“The South Island is also looking mostly fine.” Mostly settled weather is expected throughout the holiday weekend which is good news for Easter Show thrillseekers.
There could be an odd shower across the country on Monday, but nothing that was much concern to drivers, she added.
Police are urging motorists heading back to main centres tomorrow and Monday to stay cool on the roads. Assistant commissioner for road policing Sandra Venables said people needed to remember road safety was everyone’s responsibility.
“Last Easter, poor driver behaviour and speed were the main [factors leading to] crashes. The most common factors were people not driving to the conditions, driving under the influence of alcohol, or being distracted.
“We want all road users to take care of themselves and their passengers.”
Venables warned drivers were highly likely to be ticketed if they were caught on speed camera more than 4km over the posted speed limit during the holiday
period — from 4pm March 29 to
6am April 3.
NZ Transport Agency director safety and environment Harry Wilson said it was important to plan ahead and be patient as there would be more people on the roads over the holiday weekend.
“We don’t want [people getting] impatient and taking unnecessary risks such as dangerous overtaking . . . or following too closely.”
Wilson encouraged travellers heading home to use NZTA’s realtime travel information, take regular breaks and share the driving where possible.
The holiday road toll stood at two as of last night. A child died and three people were last night in a critical condition after earlier being trapped in a crash between two cars and two trucks north of Waiouru about 3.30pm yesterday. The incident followed a fatal crash at Tirohanga in Bay of Plenty about
10.50am yesterday. Cloudy with a chance of morning and evening showers • High 25°C.
Fine spells with a chance of evening showers • 25°C.
Cloud clearing • 24°C.
Cloud developing with evening showers • 20°C. Southbound
Sunday 1pm-7pm Monday 10am-7.30pm Tuesday 10am-4.30pm Northbound Sunday
3pm-7.30pm Monday 12pm-7pm Tuesday
6.30am-6.30pm Westbound Monday 12pm-7pm
Westbound
Monday 10am-5pm Tuesday 10am-4.30pm
Northbound
Sunday 10.30am-12.30pm
Sunday 3.30pm-5.30pm Monday 10.30am-5.30pm Former Green Party leadership contender Vernon Tava is seeking the National Party nomination in the Northcote byelection. Tava stood for the Greens co-leadership in 2015, when incumbent and Climate Change Minister James Shaw won. Tava also stood as the Green Party candidate in Northcote in 2011 and is a frequent political commentator, including on nzherald.co.nz and on Newstalk ZB. The byelection follows the resignation announcement of National MP and former Health Minister Jonathan Coleman who has accepted a job to head the Acurity Health Group.
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