As Friday started many regions had been expecting to get pretty drenched. For some that never really happened but, as one consultant said, if you want to know the weather open the door and step outside.

Northland's had a wet week with buffeting winds, but as you head further south the week was OK, quite mild and wind and rain only arrived in force for Waikato, Bay of Plenty, King Country late Thursday or Friday morning. For dairy herds just getting into calving it's not so comfortable.

Taranaki, like further north, has been quite mild so grass growth is above average and farm pasture covers are good. Lower altitude farms are starting to calve so the new season's on its way. Farm conditions are good but it won't take much rain to tank things up.

It was meant to be pelting down on the East Coast on Friday but, in the morning anyway, Gisborne wasn't too wet. But roads up the coast are still knocked around and it doesn't take much rain for them to have slips and restrictions in place.

Further south and Wairarapa had a fine week with some frosty starts. A farmer we caught up with here has been crutching and watching his ewes aren't over or under fed. Both states create lambing issues and that's just around the corner. Pregnancy scanning results are down a bit this year.

Photo: Michael Godfrey

Canterbury had a good patch of weather so things have dried out and stock's utilising fodder crops well. Irrigation systems are getting serviced ahead of the new season. Our farmer here has 600 native plants ordered and they'll be planted over the next couple of months as part of the on going farm planting programme.

The West Coast's had a good week and didn't get much rain at all Thursday night, into Friday, but it was blowing a gale ... a very strong easterly ..

Central Otago farmers are looking at mucky paddocks because the ground is frozen underneath. Thursday offered up a minus eight degree morning. But the willows in Oturehua are budding up red which is a real worry. It is not spring. Good snow was falling in Cromwell, Omarama and all around the usual snowy mountain areas, with a number of road closures.

There was a cold easterly and rain in Southland on Friday. Again, as all the farmers are saying .. it's winter.