Flights grounded and frosts return as roller coaster weather hits NZ

Sunday, 21 June 2026

A ridge of high pressure is building over the South Island, which means in the south it is mostly fine, while in the north the cloud is persistent with some scattered rain.

Bad weather and poor visibility resulted in more than 50 flight cancellations in Wellington on Sunday.

A Wellington International Airport spokesperson confirmed 57 flights were cancelled, though some reasons may have been unrelated to weather.

Heavy rain and poor visibility likely forced an Air New Zealand flight from Gisborne to turn back late Sunday afternoon.

Bad weather and poor visibility has caused over 50 flight cancellations in Wellington on Sunday.

Flights were cancelled through Wellington Airport due to the weather on Sunday.

A Wellington International Airport spokesperson said there had been 57 flight cancellations in the nation’s capital, “although some may have been for reasons other than weather”.

The spokesperson said an Air New Zealand flight from Gisborne had been turned back late Sunday afternoon likely due to heavy rain causing poor visibility.

“Passengers should check directly with their airlines for details on specific flights,” the spokesperson said.

Metservice warns there could be some frosty temperatures in parts of New Zealand this week.

New Zealand's rollercoaster weather is set to continue this week, with temperatures plunging from record highs to frosty lows before another bout of wet weather arrives from the Tasman Sea.

Brace yourself because frosts are coming.

The country endured a turbulent weekend as a cold front swept north, bringing strong winds, heavy rain and a dramatic change in conditions.

But according to MetService, the worst of the weather has now passed… for now.

'All of our watches and warnings have since gone away, and we're really on a settling trend through the beginning of next week,' the meteorologist said.

Frost might well replace gales which has caused disruption during the weekend.

Most of the country can expect predominantly fine conditions on Monday, with only isolated coastal showers affecting areas such as Coromandel, Westland and Fiordland, the spokesperson said.

Ahead of the cold front, parts of the east coast of the South Island experienced record-breaking temperatures driven by strong northwesterly wind.

Christchurch reached a high of 24.7C on Saturday and the gales swept across Canterbury triggering multiple vegetation fires.

'We're expecting frost to kick back in for the likes of the South Island,' the MetService meteorologist told Stuff.

Christchurch was forecast to drop to -1C overnight.

Settled spell unlikely to last

Forecasters are monitoring a low-pressure system developing in the Tasman Sea that is expected to intensify over the next few days before bringing rain to parts of the country from Tuesday night and Wednesday.

'We do see a deteriorating trend over particularly the North Island and the north of the South Island.'

Heavy rain watches or warnings may eventually be required for parts of Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, the Bay of Plenty, the Gisborne ranges and potentially the Nelson-Tasman region,“ the meteorologist said.

For now, though, Metservice said Monday would provide a “lovely, cool, clear-sky” winter day for many New Zealanders.