The last hours of autumn will be a beautiful day to be outside with cool temperatures, but lots of sunshine for most.

Queenstown Lakes District Council said its "Game of Roads" continued today, with freezing fog striking again in several places. "Combined with widespread sharp frosts and loose grit across the district, this could cause extra problems so take it easy."

Ice was forming on Arthurs Point Rd and Cardrona Valley Rd this morning and extreme caution was needed.

Central Otago District Council said temperatures across the region were sitting around 0degC to -4degC.

This meant ice was likely and caution was advised particularly on damp areas, bridge decks, hill sections and shaded areas.

Conditions were also icy in Dunedin.

In the South Island, Mt Cook fell to -7.3degC, Dunedin Airport to -5degC and Lumsden -4.5degC.

The coldest overnight temperature in the North Island was -4.1degC on Desert Rd, Waiouru got to -3.6degC, Hamilton and Taumarunui to -2.5degC and Taupo -2.3degC.

Middlemarch only reached a maximum 0.2degC yesterday, setting a new May record for coldest temperature. The old record was 2degC set in 2006.

Ranfurly failed to reach 0C in the afternoon, only getting -1degC.

A few showers will clip Gisborne and the East Coast today and a band of showers will push through the Wairarapa and into Wellington late in the morning, but these will clear in the afternoon.

The top temperature expected for the day is 16degC for Whangarei.

Calm and crisp wintry days will persist until the end of the week, apart from a couple of subtle clouds and morning and evening drizzle on the east coast of the South Island and northeast parts of the North Island.

However, on Saturday a band of rain will move over the top of the North Island and move southwards during the weekend, bringing rain and easterlies to much of the north and upper South Island.

It will reach Auckland on Saturday and possibly bringing some heavy falls, before spreading to the Coromandel Peninsula and the Bay of Plenty on Sunday.

MetService meteorologist April Clark said temperatures will begin to heat up as we head into the weekend, as a northeasterly flow develops over the country.

"We had the big run of southerlies, which brought the cold air from the south - that is what started this cooler snap.

"We will obviously get these cool temperatures again, but as we head into Saturday, over the North Island those nor-easterlies will start to develop and that will bring warmer air from the north.

"It is looking warmer in the weekend, but we will be getting more of this for sure as we head into winter."