Our Environment - Climate

North of the warm and wet main ranges of the Northland Peninsula, the climate changes markedly. The weather in the Far North is often very different to that further south. It is typically drier with most rain falling in the winter months, and although the warmest part of the country during the winter the proximity of the ocean and daily sea breezes moderates the temperatures and humidity during the summer months.

The differences are quite marked even within the confines of the Doubtless Bay area. The Karikari Peninsula is noticeably windier than warm and sheltered Mangonui, for example, approximately 2 degrees Celsius cooler, and experiences between 200 and 400 mm less rainfall on average each year.

The nearest obvious climatic comparisons appear to be with coastal regions of Victoria and South Australia.