Rotorua weather in April

In April, Rotorua sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 100 mm of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 11 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in April, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 11 h 36 min at the start of April to 10 h 30 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, April is Rotorua's 4th-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Rotorua's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
6th warmest
Overnight low
8th coldest
Rainfall
100 mm
9.5 wet days
Daylight
11 hours
7:45 AM – 6:46 PM
Cloud cover
62%
4th clearest
Wind
10 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
3.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.5
out of 10

Rotorua is city in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Air quality
Good
PM10 18.2 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
25/km²
people per km²
Founded
1883

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

Temperature in April

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 18°C in the first days to 16°C by the end.

A typical April day in Rotorua reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 8°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 19°C. Set against its neighbours, April runs about 3°C cooler than March and about 3°C warmer than May.

10°15°20°25°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11910
21910
31810
41810
51810
61810
71810
81810
9189
10189
11179
12179
13179
14179
15179
16179
17179
18179
19179
20179
21168
22168
23168
24168
25168
26168
27168
28168
29168
30168

Rotorua weather by month

How April compares with the rest of the year at a glance. April is the 6th-warmest and 8th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 13°8410.214.36.5
Feb22° / 13°818.913.56.6
Mar20° / 11°859.612.36.3
Apr17° / 1009.5115.5
May14° / 10110.3104.1
Jun12° / 10910.99.42.9
Jul11° / 11812.39.62.5
Aug12° / 11313.210.52.8
Sep14° / 1141311.73.5
Oct15° / 10312.7134.4
Nov18° / 9311.414.15.4
Dec20° / 11°1131314.65.7

Cloud cover in April

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 25% of the time in April.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of April, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 55%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24258
34258
44357
54456
64456
74456
84456
94456
104357
114357
124456
134555
144555
154654
164654
174654
184654
194654
204654
214654
224753
234753
244753
254852
264852
274852
284852
294852
304753

Chance of precipitation in April

Any precipitation

Rotorua gets around 100 mm of rain over 9.5 wet days in April. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 31% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
133
234
334
434
534
634
734
833
933
1033
1132
1232
1331
1431
1530
1630
1729
1829
1929
2029
2129
2230
2330
2430
2531
2631
2731
2831
2931
3031

Humidity in April

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, April lands in the dry band about 82% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
171227
272217
373216
474206
576195
677185
778184
879174
979174
1081163
1181163
1282153
1383152
1484142
1584142
1684142
1785132
1885132
1985132
2086122
2186122
2286122
2386122
2487121
2587121
2687121
2787121
2887121
2987121
3088111

Wind in April

Winds average 10 km/h in April.

Across April, daily wind ranges from about 10 km/h on the calmest days to 10 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
110calm
210calm
310calm
410calm
510calm
610calm
710calm
810calm
910calm
1010calm
1110calm
1210calm
1310calm
1410calm
1510calm
1610calm
1710calm
1810calm
1910calm
2010calm
2110calm
2210calm
2310calm
2410calm
2510calm
2610calm
2710calm
2810calm
2910calm
3010calm

Sunrise & sunset in April

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 11 h 36 min at the start of April to 10 h 30 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 66 minutes over April. Sunrise moves from 7:31 AM to 7:58 AM, and sunset from 7:09 PM to 6:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
111.67:317:09
211.67:327:07
311.57:337:05
411.57:347:04
511.57:347:02
611.47:357:01
711.47:366:59
811.37:376:58
911.37:386:56
1011.37:396:55
1111.27:406:53
1211.27:416:52
1311.17:426:50
1411.17:436:49
1511.17:446:47
1611.07:456:46
1711.07:466:44
1810.97:476:43
1910.97:486:41
2010.97:496:40
2110.87:506:38
2210.87:516:37
2310.77:516:36
2410.77:526:34
2510.77:536:33
2610.67:546:32
2710.67:556:30
2810.57:566:29
2910.57:576:28
3010.57:586:27

Solar energy in April

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in April, about 3.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.79 kWh/m² to a high of 6.59 kWh/m² in January across the year — April's 3.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

01234151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
13.7Moderate
23.6Moderate
33.6Moderate
43.6Moderate
53.5Moderate
63.5Moderate
73.4Moderate
83.4Moderate
93.4Moderate
103.3Moderate
113.3Moderate
123.3Moderate
133.2Moderate
143.2Moderate
153.1Moderate
163.1Moderate
173.1Moderate
183.0Moderate
193.0Moderate
203.0Moderate
212.9Moderate
222.9Moderate
232.9Moderate
242.8Moderate
252.8Moderate
262.8Moderate
272.7Moderate
282.7Moderate
292.7Moderate
302.6Moderate
Planning a trip in April

Is April a good time to visit Rotorua?

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

5.5
Sightseeing
5th-best month of the year
1.3
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

April is a reasonable time to visit Rotorua for sightseeing.

What to pack for Rotorua in April

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

In April, Rotorua sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

rain gear

Sea temperature near Rotorua in April

The nearest coast averages about 19°C in April — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 44 km away) is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 14°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 22 to Mar 25 — about 2.1 months when the water holds above 20°C.

15°20°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Cool
Feb21Refreshing
Mar20Refreshing
Apr19Cool
May18Cool
Jun16Cool
Jul15Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep14Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Rotorua in April

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in April peaks around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Rotorua peaks around December 22 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highModerateModerateHighVery highExtremeDec 22UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5High
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Rotorua?

Rotorua sits at 38.1°S, 176.2°E, 287 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Tauranga, 51 km away.

Pukekohe EastNapier

Topography around Rotorua

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Rotorua has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 84 m around an average of 292 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 572 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,180 m.

The land around Rotorua is covered by artificial surfaces (36%), trees (22%) and water (22%) within 3 km, trees (46%) and grassland (37%) within 16 km, and trees (44%) and grassland (36%) within 80 km.

3 km
84 m
16 km
572 m
80 km
1,180 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
April weather nearby: Tauranga 51 km · Taupo 62 km · Whakatane 68 km · Cambridge 76 km · Hamilton East 92 km · Hamilton 93 km · Pukekohe East 155 km · Napier 161 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 Rotorua (-38.1387°, 176.2452°, elevation 287 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).