[Alan]

I have been looking at the climates in both the UK and NZ and the North Island seems very similar to the South of England, however is this correct or does NZ get a lot more sunshine in reality?

What are the thoughts of the people that are already in NZ and have experienced a winter there?

[IanW99]

I have been looking at the climates in both the UK and NZ and the North Island seems very similar to the South of England, however is this correct or does NZ get a lot more sunshine in reality?

What are the thoughts of the people that are already in NZ and have experienced a winter there?

Have you checked out this link which gives a good comparison:- Comparison of New Zealand and British Climates (http://www.emigratenz.org/NewZealandClimate.html)

Certainly it doesn't get as cold as anwhere in the UK, we are based in Wellington which is probably the coldest part of the NI but we don't get snow here, it barely gets to freezing even in the middle of winter.

And yes, you do get more sunshine, more often i.e. much less overcast grey skies.

I should mention that as it doesn't get so cold, they don't build houses to keep warm (many not insulated) so inside houses it may actually seem colder than in the UK.

Ian

[Smiler]

All what Ian says!

Much more sunshine than the south of England in autumn and spring. Less grey, dismal winter days too.

Having experienced a couple of winters in Welly and up here in Wanganui, I'd agree about it being colder inside houses than outside because the houses don't stay warm. :confused: 'Winter' is shorter here too.

There's some more opinions here too http://www.emigratenz.org/forum/showthread.php?t=15728

[Lupin]

Definitely NOT like England here in HAwkes Bay. Summers are long and hot, winters short and mild. In fact, my husband and I realised we hadn't once used scarves or gloves last winter (not counting when watching the TV as we lived in a freezing rental) and only worn overcoats on a handful of days. Cicadas are chirping until gone midnight now :)

[Jon&Candy]

If you're a bit sad like me, you might be interested in this website:
http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/astronomy.html?n=264

It lists the sunrise and sunset times for pretty much anywhere in the world. One quite interesting bit to note is the angle above the horizon of the sun at midday on the shortest day (basically the time of the year when it gets darkest and most miserable).

In Bristol, the sun only gets as high as 15° above the horizon (pretty miserable), but in Wellington, it gets up to 25°. That, combined with the much higher sunlight hours makes it much more pleasant.

[Potato]

In order to get similar sunshine hours, temperatures and rainy days to the main British cities you need to go to Dunedin or Invercargill- though their summers are cooler than the south of the UK, the winters are a bit milder. The average annual temperature works out about the same - roughly 10C. For comparison- Wellington is 13C, Auckland 15C (the same as Rome and Melbourne) and Sydney about 17C.



In Bristol, the sun only gets as high as 15° above the horizon (pretty miserable), but in Wellington, it gets up to 25°. That, combined with the much higher sunlight hours makes it much more pleasant.


Yes, Wellington is 10 degrees (approx 1200km) nearer the equator than Bristol.

[Alan]

Fantastic, Rome or Melbourne that'll do me! Just didn't want to even come on a recce if the weather was not sufficently different as like many we are looking for the outdoor lifestyle.

Does the wind in and around Wellington cause the climate to be more difficult?

From what I have seen Napier and Tauranga are looking good to me

[Lupin]

A recent study showed Tauranga as the least affordable area of NZ and Napier-Hastings as the second most affordable (after Dunedin)- worth bearing in mind.

:)

[Alan]

Lupin, as I haven't made enough posts I cannot PM you so could you drop me a line which I guess I can then respond to? Thanks

[Potato]

Fantastic, Rome or Melbourne that'll do me! Just didn't want to even come on a recce if the weather was not sufficently different as like many we are looking for the outdoor lifestyle.

Does the wind in and around Wellington cause the climate to be more difficult?

From what I have seen Napier and Tauranga are looking good to me

The Rome/Melbourne thing just goes on temperature alone. Auckland gets a lot more rain than either of these locations and it's also less sunny. Also, the temperature varies less. Whereas Rome may hit 35C quite often in summer, and Melbourne 40C, Auckland rarely gets over 30C except in certain suburbs because it is on such a thin bit of land surrounded on all sides by ocean.

[benandclare]

Only been here 5 months but already this summer is miles better than any I experienced in UK :raebanana :raebanana

[gpbenton]

Does the wind in and around Wellington cause the climate to be more difficult?



I've noticed it more when cycling and playing golf, but other than it hasn't made much difference for me.

There are not many days without some sort of wind, especially in the afternoon, but in the last year at least, the only really strong winds came in the August-October storms.

[dharder]

Only been here 5 months but already this summer is miles better than any I experienced in UK :raebanana :raebanana

I get the impression though that this summer is miles better than any they've experienced here for while as well, though...

Daniela

[shakyle2906]

Only been here 5 months but already this summer is miles better than any I experienced in UK :raebanana :raebanana

I'll second that!!

Been here just over 9mths and sun has been out most of it! I think we have had a really bad week of rain back in the winter, but i hardly wore my winter coat at all.

It still fascinates me how you can in the winter, get up and it be like an icy ish feeling, snow on mountains, then by mid morning, its boiling.

Summer so far has been hot, hot hot! Nothing like we experienced in the UK, its been totally unbearable for me some days! And they say February gets hotter ??

Hawkes Bay has got to be one of the best places for good weather so i hear.

Sharon

[aberdian]

here's a graph I prepared earlier
Top set of 3 lines are Maximum temperature, showing London vs Christchurch vs Queenstown, with London max temperatures lower year round than both others.
Middle set of 3 are the same towns, showing Minimum temp, with London being mostly warmer than the other two.
Bottom set is Hours sun/day with London getting way less, especially in winter, Christchurch being the sunniest in winter and Qtown in summer.

1022
Sorry, I can't help it, I'm a scientist......

[Billy]

If you're thinking Welly, but dont want the wind and rain, and prefer average temps 2 or 3 degrees higher, try Levin, just over an hour up the coast, with beaches and mountains 5-10 minutes drive away.
Cheers

[Sam B]

The weather here in Cambridge (after exactly 1 year) is FABULOUS!! I LOVE it. Defo better than Britain.

[talisker]

My experience is that climate in Auckland is far far better than in the UK (well, Scotland anyway). Lots more sunshine and much warmer. Yes, there's quite a bit of rain at certain times of year, but it tends more toward the tropical downpour style than dreary gray drizzle. Also, it never really gets cold. Very ocassionally in winter there may be something approaching an extremely light frost early in the morning, but it warms up dramatically throughout the day. If you can accept a little bit of early morning chilliness, you don't need a jacket at all (other than perhaps one to keep the rain off if it's that sort of day). The shops still sell winter clothes though, and kiwis like to wear them to fit in with the fashion seasons I suppose, so you do see people wearing hats and gloves, but often with no jacket on because that would be too hot!

[Alan]

To be honest this sounds great, and just what we are after. A nice chilly morning with a blue sky for me is superb especially when you know it will warm up during the day.