New Zealanders heading away for King's Birthday weekend are being urged to watch the forecast, with rain, wind and a late-autumn temperature lift expected across parts of the country.

Forecasters warned of rain and wind for the long weekend, with some areas also expected to see a brief warm-up after a dry May.

Drivers and travellers were encouraged to check conditions before leaving. The weekend forecast is a reminder that late autumn travel can change quickly, especially for people crossing alpine passes or heading between regions.

MetService and NZTA will provide rolling updates through the weekend as the systems move across the country.

The key question is whether conditions hold long enough for planned events to go ahead as scheduled.