MetService said on Monday there should be a reprieve in the next two days for Gisborne - one of the few areas in the drought-stricken North Island yet to get any rain.
The service had earlier said there was a chance Gisborne could get light showers on Monday but local sheep and beef farmer Hamish Cave says that hasn't happened.
He says farmers in the region need about 350 millimetres of rain in the next month to save the coming season.
Mr Cave says it's the worst drought his family has seen in more than 70 years and farmers should get their stock down to a minimum and aim to survive the coming autumn and winter with what they can.
MetService says rain is likely to continue in most other parts on Monday, but will disappear as a high spreads over the country from Tuesday and Wednesday through to Saturday.
