Boxing Day will bring rain and high temperatures for a lot of the country, with some places having a heat alerts in place.

A MetService spokesperson says most of the North Island will experience rain in the morning, which will ease by afternoon. However, temperatures will remain hot.

The whole North Island will be above 20 degrees, with the hottest being Napier and Hastings at 29 degrees. Auckland will reach 25 to 27 degrees.

There are heat alerts in place for Auckland, Whangaparaoa, Thames, Whitianga, Hamilton, Tokoroa, Napier, Hastings and Napier, Masterton and Motueka.

That means it will exceed the median average for a second day in a row.

Auckland and Kerikeri in particular are in for a sweaty night on Monday evening with an expected 22 to 23 degrees.

These temperatures are caused by hot air coming from the tropics. A high is parked North East of New Zealand bring down a northerly, the MetService forecaster says.

Northland, Bay of Plenty and Gisborne can expect showers, however, Waikato will be an exception, “missing most of the action”, they say.

The lower part of the North Island, south of Manawatu will experience morning cloud. Wellington will start fine, then become cloudy with showers in the evening as northwesterly winds turn southerly.

In the South Island, there will be showers on the West Coast which will retreat by afternoon. East coast, from Kaikoura to Canterbury, will improve by mid-morning with isolated showers expected in the evening.

Motueka will be 26 degrees. That’s going to be higher than in the tropics, the forecaster said, where Niue and Tonga are expected to be 25 degrees on Monday.

A southerly front blowing through Canterbury Plains will bring “beefy showers” that will head north, to clear inland from afternoon.

In Queenstown and Mackenzie Country, showers fine up by afternoon. Dunedin will have showers, some heavy, possibly thundery, clearing late afternoon.

On Wednesday, a ridge of high pressure “finally” comes in from the Tasman, bringing fine weather for most of the country, except Gisborne and Kaikoura, the forecaster said.

Thursday will also be mainly fine, except in the Coromandel.

Looking into the distant future, New Years Eve will sadly likely bring rain, especially in Auckland and Northland.

A “decent front” is going to move through the North Island, bringing rain from afternoon which will continue throughout the evening.

The South Island will fare somewhat more favourably, but it's too early to tell, the forecaster says.

-Jonathan Killick/Stuff.