A severe weather warning issued for the Bay of Plenty overnight has been lifted - but more rain is being forecast for the region over the next couple of days.

A front moving onto the Eastern Bay of Plenty and northern Gisborne should move away to the east, with heavy rain about the ranges easing, says the MetService.

The Bay of Plenty will be peppered with showers today and tomorrow. Photo; File.

'Behind the front, unsettled north-westerlies persist over central New Zealand through to Wednesday,” says a MetService spokesperson.

'This means western areas are likely to be peppered by showers, while the east should remain mostly dry with temperatures reaching the late teens in some spots.

'During Wednesday and early Thursday, a cold showery southwest flow spreads over New Zealand, with some brief snow possible for the mountain passes.”

The MetService says there is likely to be an unsettled period of weather for New Zealand, and people are advised to keep up-to-date with the latest forecasts and any watches/warnings at metservice.com or on mobile devices at m.metservice.com