Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
Don't swap the gumboots for jandals just yet - more wet weather is on the way for western parts of the country, but eastern areas are set to see the sun as the weekend arrives.
Metservice meteorologist John Law says the weather has been "all over the place".
With plenty of thunderstorms through the night on Thursday, Law told Morning Report more could be expected Friday, particularly in the west.
Many took to social media as thunderstorms rolled in Thursday night and woke people up in the early morning.
In Manurewa people said the wild weather shook their homes.
"A fairly unsettled looking Friday for many of us," Law said.
"Thunderstorms, you can get some pretty intense rainfall so do keep that in mind, keep a close eye on the radar chart today."
In Auckland, Friday would bring scattered rain, heavy at times and possibly thundery, clearing this evening to increasing fine spells.
The further east you are, the better chance you have of a dry day Friday, Law said.
Wet weather forecast for western parts of country
Thursday night brought cold temperatures, particularly in the south, with Mosgiel airport reaching -2°C.
Christchurch woke to -1°C.
"So, still cold and frosty."
Palmerston North
Kingsdale Park residents are asked to reduce wastewater use as a slip on the Pahiatua Track has fallen on part of the wastewater pipe, Palmertson North City Council says.
Police say the track will be closed for most of the day due to flooding and people should avoid the area.
The council said this means residents should not do laundry, wait till tonight to shower, bath or turn on the dishwasher, only flush the toliet if really needed and avoid using large amounts of water.
"Our water team are coming up to assess what is needed to do a temporary repair today."
Most of the city's sports grounds are closed until further notice, as the fields are too wet and muddy.
Weekend weather
Saturday looks to be the pick of the weekend, Law said.
"The good news is, as we head in towards...Saturday, it generally looks to be a pretty dry sunny story for many spots on the North Island and for many parts of the north and eastern parts of the South Island."
Showers in Westland and Fiordland are forecast to turn to rain with heavy falls later while Buller will see a few showers too.
The wet weather in the south moves further north on Sunday, with a showery end of the day for the western parts of the North Island and some heavier falls around the western side of the South Island, Law said.
"Many parts of the West Coast and Fiordland have experienced rain nearly every day this month, with year-to-date rainfall already tracking above average," MetService meteorologist Mmathapelo Makgabutlane said.
The coming days were likely to follow the same pattern, she said.