Paraparaumu weather in March

In March, Paraparaumu sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 86 mm of rain across 10.3 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 hours at the start of March to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Paraparaumu's 2nd-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Paraparaumu's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
86 mm
10.3 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:19 AM – 7:40 PM
Cloud cover
53%
2nd clearest
Wind
19 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
4.57 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Paraparaumu is town in New Zealand.

Density
1,045/km²
people per km²

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical March day in Paraparaumu reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 15°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°13°15°18°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11814
21814
31814
41814
51814
61814
71714
81714
91714
101714
111713
121713
131713
141713
151713
161713
171713
181713
191713
201713
211713
221713
231713
241713
251713
261713
271713
281713
291713
301613
311613

Paraparaumu weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 14°9411.314.65.6
Feb18° / 15°899.613.66.0
Mar17° / 13°8610.312.35.6
Apr15° / 12°10912.610.94.4
May14° / 10°11613.79.73.6
Jun12° / 13314.19.12.7
Jul11° / 12313.99.42.4
Aug11° / 12614.910.42.4
Sep12° / 12815.311.72.8
Oct13° / 10°14615.713.13.2
Nov14° / 11°1191314.33.9
Dec16° / 13°12314.614.94.6

Cloud cover in March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 44%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35743
45743
55743
65644
75644
85644
95644
105545
115644
125644
135644
145644
155743
165743
175644
185644
195644
205644
215743
225743
235743
245743
255644
265644
275644
285545
295545
305545
315545

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Paraparaumu gets around 86 mm of rain over 10.3 wet days in March, the driest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 34% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
330
430
530
630
730
831
931
1031
1131
1232
1332
1433
1533
1634
1734
1835
1935
2036
2136
2236
2336
2436
2536
2637
2737
2837
2938
3038
3139

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of March feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
1513811
2533710
3543610
455369
556359
657358
759347
859347
960346
1060346
1161345
1261345
1362344
1461354
1560364
1660364
1760373
1860373
1959374
2058384
2158384
2258384
2358384
2458384
2559374
2660364
2760364
2861354
2963334
3064324
3165314

Wind in March

Winds average 19 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 19 km/h on the calmest days to 20 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0510152025151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
119light breeze
219light breeze
319light breeze
419light breeze
519light breeze
619light breeze
719light breeze
819light breeze
919light breeze
1019light breeze
1119light breeze
1219light breeze
1319light breeze
1419light breeze
1519light breeze
1620light breeze
1720light breeze
1820light breeze
1920light breeze
2020light breeze
2120light breeze
2220light breeze
2320light breeze
2420light breeze
2520light breeze
2620light breeze
2720light breeze
2820light breeze
2920light breeze
3020light breeze
3120light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 hours at the start of March to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 84 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:02 AM to 7:36 AM, and sunset from 8:04 PM to 7:14 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.07:028:04
213.07:048:02
312.97:058:01
412.97:067:59
512.87:077:58
612.87:087:56
712.87:097:55
812.77:117:53
912.77:127:51
1012.67:137:50
1112.67:147:48
1212.57:157:46
1312.57:167:45
1412.47:177:43
1512.47:187:41
1612.37:197:40
1712.37:217:38
1812.27:227:36
1912.27:237:35
2012.27:247:33
2112.17:257:31
2212.17:267:30
2312.07:277:28
2412.07:287:26
2511.97:297:24
2611.97:307:23
2711.87:317:21
2811.87:337:19
2911.77:347:18
3011.77:357:16
3111.67:367:14

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.57 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 7.08 kWh/m² in January across the year — March's 4.57 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.2Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.1Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.1Bright
264.1Bright
274.0Bright
284.0Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.8Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Paraparaumu?

Our two travel scores rate March for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.6
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.4
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Paraparaumu for sightseeing.

What to pack for Paraparaumu in March

From March's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In March, Paraparaumu sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 10 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Paraparaumu in March

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in March — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 km away) is warmest in February at about 18°C and coldest in August near 13°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

12°14°16°18°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan17Cool
Feb18Cool
Mar18Cool
Apr17Cool
May16Cool
Jun14Bracing
Jul13Bracing
Aug13Bracing
Sep13Bracing
Oct14Bracing
Nov15Bracing
Dec16Cool

UV index in Paraparaumu in March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Paraparaumu peaks around January 11 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 11UV 11Jun 17UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar6High
Apr4Moderate
May2Moderate
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov10Very high
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Paraparaumu?

Paraparaumu sits at 40.9°S, 175.0°E, 77 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Upper Hutt, 25 km away.

Topography around Paraparaumu

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Paraparaumu.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Paraparaumu has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 436 m around an average of 96 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,092 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,512 m.

The land around Paraparaumu is covered by trees (55%) and grassland (26%) within 3 km, trees (47%) and water (39%) within 16 km, and water (45%), grassland (28%) and trees (25%) within 80 km.

3 km
436 m
16 km
1,092 m
80 km
1,512 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfaceswater
March weather nearby: Upper Hutt 25 km · Porirua 28 km · Lower Hutt 34 km · Levin 38 km · Wainuiomata 39 km · Wellington 46 km · Karori 47 km · Masterton 54 km

New Zealand travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 86% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$49,591
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
9.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
no religion 49%Christian 37%objected to answering 7%Hindu 3%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Paraparaumu (-40.9167°, 175.0167°, elevation 77 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).