It's been a chilly day for many people across the country, with some regions experiencing their coldest morning of the year.
File photo Photo: RNZ / Leilani Momoisea
A homeware chain store said sales of things like electric blankets and duvets were soaring because of the colder temperatures.
Some Aucklanders woke to a chilly 1.4 degrees, while Ranfurly and Middlemarch in Central Otago recorded the year's coldest temperature so far at -6°.
NIWA meterologist Ben Noll said it was an unusually chilly May morning for the top half of the North Island.
"Dunedin was 4.7 [degrees] and Christchurch was 3 degrees last night - so places in Auckland and Northland were a solid degree, two maybe even three degrees colder than some of those South Island centres.
"If you stepped outside in the morning and you thought it was cold in Auckland you were right," Mr Noll said.
Whangarei had its coldest May morning in 42 years at 0.8 degrees, Mr Noll said.
In the record books!
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) May 28, 2018
With a min temp of 0.8ºC in Whangarei this morning, it was the 3rd coldest May temp on record! This was the coldest May morning since 1976 or in 42 years. #brrr #climate pic.twitter.com/4uvsG8zHne
Northland dairy farm manager Julie Paton said the chilly weather was not too out of the ordinary for this time of year.
"It's been pretty warm up here up until the last week or so I guess and last night was definitely the coldest night of the year, so far.
"But, having said that it was only 5 degrees so I'm sure we're much better off than people further south," Ms Paton said.
In the South Island, it was the coldest night of the year (so far): Ranfurly & Middlemarch (Central Otago) tied for New Zealand's coldest temp of 2018 (-6.0ºC), which was the coldest temp since Sept 2017 for the country as a whole. pic.twitter.com/LsZp7hJBZa
— NIWA Weather (@NiwaWeather) May 28, 2018
Down in Southland, the town of Winton hit -3 degrees this morning.
And people in the town seem to have little sympathy for those Aucklanders who felt the cold.
"My heart breaks for them, it's so cold isn't it... Buy a decent jacket if they're complaining," Joanne Mcilwrick said.
MetService said there was another cold night to come.
Another chilly night to come across New Zealand. Wrap up warm. https://t.co/ziBZZ8QjAp ^JL pic.twitter.com/X4FzV4T4qg
— MetService (@MetService) May 29, 2018
Homeware store Briscoes seemed to be benefitting from the colder temperatures.
Group managing director Rod Duke said they had sold thousands of electric blankets, flannelette sheets and duvet inners over the weekend.
"From around about Thursday, Friday last week when the weather pretty much nationwide turned, sales have just exploded on winter merchandise," he said.
