A fine and mostly dry start to Queen's Birthday weekend is being threatened by the prospect of rain on Sunday and Monday.

The MetService is predicting cloudy skies with a chance of showers for Tauranga during the long weekend, with temperatures not expected to surpass 18 degrees Celsius.

MetService media and communications meteorologist Dan Corbett advises people to make the most of the early dry weather, as a front pushing up from the South Island looms to bring rain and unsettled conditions as the weekend progresses.

'A brisk westerly flow is destined to give outbreaks of rain at times over the west coast of the South Island over the weekend.

'The heaviest rainfall is likely about the Southern Alps during Sunday.”

Dan says westerly winds will bring areas of cloud and a few showers to western coasts of the North Island, while Hawke's Bay and Gisborne should enjoy the best weather this weekend, staying fine and dry right through to Monday.

'On Queen's Birthday Monday, a slow-moving front will bring outbreaks of rain about the west and south of the South Island.

'Elsewhere, it should be mostly dry. However, some wet weather may get into the south of the North Island by the end of Monday.”