North Island

The Manawatu Gorge will be closed for at least five more months.

The New Zealand Transport Agency announced today that the main route between Manawatu and Hawke's Bay would stay shut because of the amount of slip debris that needs securing and clearing.

Boaties says the Waitemata Harbour will become the Waitemata River under bold plans to extend Auckland's port 250m into the harbour.

As we said last week Auckland Anniversary is shaping up to be a cracker weatherwise, despite a sub-Antarctic cold snap hitting just as the long weekend gets underway - and the forecast for Nelson is the same.

WeatherWatch.co.nz says for those heading away the weather isn't ideal - but for the actual days off work, conditions are looking great for most holidaymakers.

UPDATED 8:25am --- WeatherWatch.co.nz says the forecast for today's last Big Day Out in New Zealand is still looking mostly good despite the continued 30% risk of a shower.

A large high pressure system continues to hold over the upper North Island bringing mostly summer-like weather to Auckland.

The age-old crackle and glow of a fireplace in Auckland homes could be consigned to history - the council has been advised to ban open fires to solve the city's $700 million air-pollution problem.

It's almost 2 years since footage of a violent thunderstorm was taken by TornadoTim and the display of wind and rain was quite a sight.Note the size of the rain drops with occasional wind gusts.

It hasn't even become a tropical storm yet but already WeatherWatch.co.nz forecasters say a developing low near Tonga is one for New Zealanders to watch.

The Fiji Meteorological Service says the tropical disturbance has a moderate chance of becoming a tropical cyclone in the next few days.

The summer holidays returned to normal yesterday for beachgoers who endured appalling weather on the Coromandel Peninsula as a week of driving rain and blustery wind finally cleared.

MetService has now expanded their Severe Weather Warning to include the Bay of Plenty, Wellington and the Kapiti Coast.

By Sara Page of GeoNet. Click here to read her blog --- Two seismic stations in the Auckland GeoNet seismic network recorded the ground literally rocking to the Foo Fighters gig at Western Springs on Tuesday night.