On the first day of summer on the meteorological calendar NZ kicks off with peak spring weather, says WeatherWatch.co.nz

Showers and strong winds are being forecast for the Bay of Plenty today.

WeatherWatch.co.nz is predicting a high of between 16-23, depending on where you are in the region.

"Gales will blast out of Cook Strait, over Taranaki and up to Auckland this morning, but shifting over to the eastern side of the North Island later today and tonight.

"Gusts will be between 80 and 120km/h in the windiest areas on land and may go even higher in Cook Strait for a time."

Winds will ease overnight and into Wednesday morning for the North Island, with a much calmer Wednesday coming for many.

However, that isn't the end of it.

"A huge storm in the Southern Ocean on Wednesday and Thursday will push more gales into the South Island this time, spreading northwards across Wednesday mostly inland and around the mountains.

"Winds will again pick up in Wellington late on Wednesday with more gales on the way, up to 100km/h possible, this time from the north west."

Images: WeatherWatch.co.nz