Heat alerts issued, warnings to prepare as temperatures set to soar

Metservice has issued heat alerts for hotspots across the country as temperatures are forecast to soar on Friday.

The alerts were in place for Whakatāne, Napier, Hastings, Motueka, Blenheim and Kaikōura, where temperatures in the low to mid thirties were expected.

Metservice meteorologist Samkelo Magwala said alerts were issued when the forecasted temperature exceeded the normal average for two consecutive days.

Magwala said alerts were issued the day before the heat was due to strike - and there would likely be more to follow on Friday and Saturday.

Metservice said the Bay of Plenty town of Kawerau was likely the most sweltering spot on Thursday.

Meteorologist Devlin Lynden said while temperatures were continuing to climb, Kawerau reached 31.3C, with Tauranga and Masterton hitting 28C and Te Puke getting to 27.9C.

"So really the Eastern North Island areas are the hottest at the moment," he said.

Devlin Lynden said winds had been light, with sea breezes beginning to pick up this afternoon, reaching up to 20 kilometres an hour.

Hastings could hit a whopping 37C over the weekend as hot air from a heatwave in Australia blankets the east coast of New Zealand.

MetService is predicting that many areas will be warm on Thursday, with the weekend reaching temperatures over 30C.

The hottest areas are expected to be the East Cape of the North Island, Gisborne, Wairoa and Hastings.

Hastings Mayor Wendy Schollum said the council was working to ensure residents were prepared.

"Because this can be really dangerous heat, and I don't think many people are used to it, so the big message we are trying to get out to people is make sure on those really hot days you are drinking plenty of water, taking breaks in the shade and avoiding the hottest part of the day if you can."

She said the community needed to look out for each other, particularly older people, infants and toddlers who were the most susceptible to heat.

Schollum said fire risk was also a major concern.

"We really need everyone to be conscious, please please please be careful, no fire, we've got a complete fire restriction at the moment, if you've got fireworks stocked away, no setting those off right now.

"And just also being conscious of anything else you might be doing that could potentially spark a fire, whether that's using machinery or any of those sorts of activities."

Marlborough Mayor Nadine Taylor seconded that sentiment and said it was a risky time for spot fires.

"We are really encouraging people to make sure they have an awareness, obviously of not light fires, but also an awareness if they are using lawnmowers, chainsaws anything that might spark or set off a fire."

Taylor reminded people that the Wither Hills Farm Park closed when the fire risk was too high.

More than 100 people were at popular Wellington Beach Oriental Bay this morning with forecasted temperatures of up to 24C.

Christchurch family Emily, Nathan, Lexi, Xavier and grandmother Betty-Ann who was visiting from England, had just ordered an ice cream to eat by the beach when RNZ spoke to them. Prior to that, the kids had been collecting shells and sea glass.

The family said it had been a beautiful day at the beach and much warmer than the -3C Betty-Ann would have been in back home.

Emma and Harry were out for a walk along Oriental Bay. Inspired by the good conditions Harry took an improptu dip which he said "couldn't have been better."

Eight-year-old Eyt and her father James had come in from Stokes Valley in Lower Hutt. Eyt had also been for a swim and said the water was freezing despite the warmer temperatures.

FENZ warns against complacency

Fire and Emergency warned people were getting complacent and ignoring safety warnings.

Wildfire manager for Fire and Emergency Tim Mitchell told Morning Report incoming winds and hot temperatures would create the "perfect storm" for a fire to start and spread, particularly in the Hawke's Bay region.

"Over the weekend conditions are really going to ramp up, as a result of an approaching weather system from the west a westerly flow is going to set up... under that westerly flow we are likely going to reduce humidity in those areas, it could go below that 30 percent maybe getting into the low 20's as well."

Mitchell said most of New Zealand's fires were caused by human related activities, so people needed to be cautious when doing anything that could create a spark.

He urged people to avoid activities that could spark a wildfire, including welding, grinding, using cookers and mowing lawns.

"We're asking the public to accept that there are times when we aren't able to do these things and actually follow the advice and don't do those activities during high-risk periods.

"Obviously, it's the weekend, which is when people mow their lawns. But we need your flexibility around not undertaking high-risk activities."

Check the checkitsalright website if you were unsure of anything, Mitchell said.

Influx of beachgoers

Surf Lifesaving is preparing for a swarm of beachgoers with hot weather expected across the country.

Surf Lifesaving's Chris Emmet said it was expecting a busy weekend across its 90 patrolled locations around the country, with hot weather bringing big numbers of people to the beach.

"Lifeguards look forward to this time of year, when there is quite a bit of activity around the beach. We're really well prepared across the country."

Emmet said Auckland's West Coast beaches often saw big crowds and also a high number of incidents.

"The biggest concern for us is people finding a location to swim that's safe for them. If you're really hot in Auckland over the next few days, the East Coast will generally be safer than the West Coast."

He stressed the importance of swimming at patrolled beaches between the flags.

"Patrol hours are generally 10am to 6pm, but some patrols do run a bit later, and if there are big crowds, lifeguards will stay on for a bit longer."

Hot nights ahead

To add to the high daytime temperatures, MetService said it wouldn't cool much at night.

"It affects sleep; people can't sleep well and the body can't get rest," MetService meteorologist Clare O'Connor told RNZ.

She urged people to keep an eye on heat alerts, especially those working outside as temperatures mount.

"So the weekend is looking hot. That might be great news for people who have been back at work this week and are looking to get to the beach. But it is tough on people working in the heat."

The temperatures will be mounting but MetService is not expecting them to quite hit the highs of the past. Ruatoria recorded the North Island's highest January temperature in 1979 when it hit 38.9C.

Highest is expected to be Hastings on 37C on Sunday.

In the South Island, the highest temperatures will also be along the eastern coast with Christchurch, Kaikoura and Timaru forecast to get steadily hotter over the next few days reaching just over 30C throughout the weekend.

Australia's heatwave driving up New Zealand temperatures

The warm weather is being driven by a heatwave in south-eastern Australia where on Wednesday the region sweltered through its hottest day in years. Firefighters in Victoria and Western Australia continue to battle out-of-control blazes.

Some towns recorded their warmest maximum temperatures in seven years, including Whyalla (45.8 degrees Celsius), Port Augusta (46.3C) and Port Lincoln (44.5C) in South Australia and Warrnambool (41.3C) in Victoria.

Melbourne reached a top of 41C, its highest in six years, while Adelaide recorded a peak of 43C.

Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.