Weather

Holidaymakers visiting the Far North are being urged to conserve water - while the district's supply is stretched.

Last year tied with 2016 as the world's warmest on record, rounding off the hottest decade globally, the EU's Copernicus earth observation service says.

It's going to be a wet weekend for some parts of the country, but the weather is expected to clear in most areas by Sunday.

Whakatāne recorded the highest sunshine hours in the country in January, February, May and December 2020.

The worst of the severe weather in Otago, which caused flooding and left some campers stranded, has now passed.

Many campers will have spent a wet night, with heavy downpours in many parts of the country, and travellers are being warned to check road conditions before they set out as more rain is forecast.

Amnesty International is calling on the Corrections Minister to ensure force isn't used to end the impasse at Waikeria Prison - where 16 inmates are entering a sixth day of protest.

Extensive flooding across the Waitaki and Otago districts has closed multiple roads and a bridge and forced the evacuation of campers.

It's going to be a settled start to 2021 weather-wise for much of the country, with temperatures about normal for this time of year.

The large bushfire near the Far North township of Ahipara is 95 percent contained, Fire and Emergency says.

Farmers and growers are counting the cost - thought to be in the tens of millions of dollars - of the Boxing Day hailstorm in Tasman. Audio

There are fears fruit and vegetable crops in and around Motueka have been badly damaged by a hailstorm that struck the area late this afternoon.