|
New Zealand Weather - West Coast Weather
New Zealand weather is regarded as "temperate oceanic." It is comparatively mild, with clearly defined seasons. Snow is visible on the Alps from mid-autumn (end of March) until late-spring (November). Summers can be hot - e.g. up to 35C in Canterbury. Winter lows of around -5C on frosty mornings are the norm, especially in the South Island. It is very changeable - from hot and sunny today, to sleet and hail tomorrow... the moral of the story is, you need to dress prepared for any eventualities.
Weather plays a big part in our angling in Aotearoha (New Zealand). The two main islands are much longer than they are wide, and lie roughly north/south. The weather is difficult to predict, as a minor variation in a low pressure system's track means it will either hit or miss us. Often, until it actually arrives, its a guessing game as to what tomorrow will bring, when a storm from the south has us in its sights. So, it is not unusual to be enjoying a balmy spring day, lightly clad, only to have the sky darken and minutes later be caught in a snow shower!
The rule when in New Zealand fly fishing in our mountain rivers should be thus, "Be Prepared... or else!"
Overseas visitors can take our mountain country lightly, and many have paid with their lives for it. The highest peak in the Southern Alps is a mere 12,000 feet, but the ferocity of the storms that can lash our mountains is hard to comprehend unless viewed first hand.
Average local temperatures;
- December, January, February, March 18-30C
- April, May 9-15C
- June, July, August 0-10C
- September, October, November 9-20C
|
|
The South Island is similar in many ways to Montana, in the United States. However, our winters are much less severe.
Whilst we do have snow on the mountains for months on end, the temperature rarely drops below -5oC.
The alpine highways can certainly be blocked by snow at times during winter, but rarely for more than a few hours.
|
|
"A bad day fishing is still better than a good day at work!"
|
|
Climate
Figures are shown for the nearest meteorological station at Hokitika Airport, which is on the coast approximately 35 miles to the south-west of Lake Brunner. These figures are averaged over a 30 year period.
Average Rainfall by month for Hokitika
|
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
|
mm
|
244.7
|
198.7
|
231.5
|
233.3
|
247.2
|
228.4
|
224.2
|
227.7
|
229.8
|
277.1
|
263.1
|
253.2
|
2859.1
|
|
inches
|
9.6
|
7.8
|
9.1
|
9.2
|
9.7
|
9.0
|
8.8
|
9.0
|
9.0
|
10.9
|
10.4
|
10.0
|
112.6
|
Average Temperature by month for Hokitika
|
|
Jan
|
Feb
|
Mar
|
Apr
|
May
|
Jun
|
Jul
|
Aug
|
Sep
|
Oct
|
Nov
|
Dec
|
Year
|
|
°C
|
15.4
|
15.6
|
14.6
|
12.4
|
9.8
|
7.7
|
7.1
|
8.0
|
9.7
|
11.2
|
12.5
|
14.4
|
11.5
|
|
°F
|
59.7
|
60.1
|
58.3
|
54.3
|
49.6
|
45.9
|
44.8
|
46.4
|
49.5
|
52.2
|
54.5
|
57.9
|
52.7
|
New Zealand Weather - West Coast Weather
|
