Mostly settled weather is forecast for much of the country on the first day of the new year - but rain is on the cards later in the week.

A large high centred over the South Island is set to cover most of New Zealand until about Wednesday, according to MetService.

Aucklanders woke up to a cloudy morning but otherwise fine start to the year, with sunny conditions forecast throughout the day.

Cloud does, however, return this evening; as well as some isolated showers. A high of 24C is expected and an overnight low of 16C.

Those in Northland are in for a cloudy day today, as is anyone holidaying in the Coromandel.

People from Waikato to Wellington - including Bay of Plenty and the central high country - will enjoy a fine day apart from areas of morning and evening cloud.

In Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Marlborough, weather forecasters say a mostly cloudy day can be expected - but there will be fine spells for inland Marlborough.

 “A few showers, mainly north of Masterton,” MetService says.

Farther south, Nelson and Buller are in for a mainly fine day. However, cloudy conditions are on the cards for Buller coast, where isolated showers are expected too.

Those in Canterbury, Otago and Southland - as well as Westland and Fiordland - are in for morning cloud.

But that will soon clear to a fine day with isolated showers developing some time this afternoon. Cloud will then return about the eastern coast by this evening.

A cloudy day with the odd shower is the forecast for Chatham Islands.

Calm before the storm

The mostly settled weather for the first few days of the new year will last until about Wedneday or Thursday, when a low just north of the country is likely to slowly move south and lie west of the North Island, MetService says.

“This is expected to bring rain and strengthening east to northwest winds to the north of the North Island from Wednesday and rain for the west of the South Island on Thursday.”

The weather authority said there is also “moderate confidence” that rainfall accumulations and the wind strength in Northland, Auckland, the Coromandel Peninsula and western Bay of Plenty will reach warning criteria on Wednesday and Thursday.

At this stage, people in Westland and Fiordland are advised that there is also moderate confidence of a rainfall warning in their areas on Thursday, while there is also a low possibility of warning amounts of rain in parts of Tasman that same day.

NIWA says this week will bring tropical moisture and humidity in our region - again.

“You had to know that the holiday high pressure system wouldn’t last forever!”