As the remnants of the weather system from last week move away to the east, the first week of the April school holidays begins with settled weather.

Although MetService is forecasting cloud and showers at times, there will be plenty of blue skies and sunshine to go around, before we reach a potentially damp weekend.

This week begins with short-lived, isolated showers speckled across the western halves of both the North and South Islands, but a ridge of high pressure rules the situation over country.

A weak cold front moves onto the lower South Island before dawn on Tuesday, bringing rain about Southland and Otago in the morning, and the west coast of the South Island in the afternoon and evening.

The front quickly loses steam as it tracks northwards and anticipated rainfall totals are well below those seen last week.

"The good news for the west coast is that after this band of rain, they can expect a couple of dry days over Wednesday and Thursday," says MetService meteorologist Clare O’Connor.

"Eastern regions are expected to miss most of the rain, although a few showers may crop up as everything moves through. Despite this, no matter where you are spending the next few days you can expect some sunshine."

A shift in the weather is in store later this week, as a low-pressure system tracks over the Tasman Sea towards Aotearoa.

The outlook indicates the possibility of a wet weekend over the North Island and cooler conditions in the South Island. MetService recommends keeping up to date with the latest forecasts and severe weather alerts on www.metservice.com, especially anyone planning to travel over the weekend.