The climate of New Zealand is as varied and as interesting as the unique and beautiful scenery found around the island. The complex climate goes from warm tropical regions in the far north, to cool temperatures in the far south in the alpine mountain areas. Mountains running the length of New Zealand provide relief from the westerly winds. This divides the the country into different climate regions, the south western coast is the moistest part of the entire country while an area just east of the mountains just 100km away is the driest.
teara.govt.nz
Most of New Zealand experiences between 600 and 1600mm of rainfall throughout the year. Although there is a dry period typically during the summers. In the north and central of the country most of the rain falls in the winter time, however to the south it is a different story and winter is the time of the year that experiences the least amount of rainfall. The snow that New Zealand has mainly falls in the mountainous areas, the east and south if the South island may experience some snow during winter though. The North island is more tropical and does not really have snow.
Annual temperatures usually range
from 10 degrees Celsius in the south to 16 degrees Celsius in the north. The warmest months in New Zealand is usually January or February while the coldest month is July. To an American that seems a bit backwards, but when you consider New Zealand is south of the equator it actually makes sense.
teara.govt.nz
wwp.greenwichmeantime.com
