MetService is forecasting a shift in the winds this week from moist, rain-laden northeasterlies to showery westerlies, turning the focus of wet weather from northern and eastern parts of New Zealand to western and southern parts of the country.

'Northeasterlies and persistent rain which has dogged eastern coasts of New Zealand the past couple of days will give way to a shower- laden southwest flow, ' says MetService meteorologist April Clark.

'This new showery pattern will mean more of a rapid seesawing from wet to dry conditions, though there will be a noticeable increase in dry weather for eastern coasts north of Dunedin compared to recent days.

'Perhaps even more importantly, after a dismal zero hours of sunshine was recorded in Christchurch over the weekend, clearer skies are expected over eastern coasts by mid-week.”

As each trough or front embedded in the southwest flow passes over the country in the coming days showers will increase in frequency and intensity, with the first feature moving over Northland this afternoon bringing a risk of isolated thunderstorms.

The next significant feature is a cold front that moves over the lower South Island late Tuesday and the rest of the country during Wednesday.

This mid-week front brings the potential for snow to 400m in Southland, a helpful top-up for both the North and South Island ski fields.

Though regions like Auckland, which are exposed to the predominating southwest flow, aren't likely to get more than half a day's reprieve from the showers, there will still be plenty of fine breaks in between, making it a week for keeping an eye on that rain radar and packing the jackets.

If you are looking for some cloud free skies to catch a glimpse of Matariki ahead of the celebrations on Friday, check out the new cloud cover forecast for your area on the MetService website.