Rotorua in Spring
In spring (September, October and November), Rotorua sees average daytime highs around 16°C and overnight lows near 7°C, with 310 mm of rain over about 37 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 13°C in early September to 19°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Rotorua's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Rotorua's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 16°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 7°C
- Rainfall
- 310 mm
- 37 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.4
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Rotorua in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 13°C in early September to 19°C by late November.
A typical spring day in Rotorua reaches about 16°C and drops to 7°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.
Rotorua weather by month
How the three spring months (September, October and November) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 22° / 13° | 84 | 10.2 | 14.3 | 6.5 |
| Feb | 22° / 13° | 81 | 8.9 | 13.5 | 6.6 |
| Mar | 20° / 11° | 85 | 9.6 | 12.3 | 6.3 |
| Apr | 17° / 9° | 100 | 9.5 | 11 | 5.5 |
| May | 14° / 7° | 101 | 10.3 | 10 | 4.1 |
| Jun | 12° / 5° | 109 | 10.9 | 9.4 | 2.9 |
| Jul | 11° / 4° | 118 | 12.3 | 9.6 | 2.5 |
| Aug | 12° / 5° | 113 | 13.2 | 10.5 | 2.8 |
| Sep | 14° / 6° | 114 | 13 | 11.7 | 3.5 |
| Oct | 15° / 7° | 103 | 12.7 | 13 | 4.4 |
| Nov | 18° / 9° | 93 | 11.4 | 14.1 | 5.4 |
| Dec | 20° / 11° | 113 | 13 | 14.6 | 5.7 |
Cloud cover in Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Rotorua gets around 310 mm of rain over 37 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 12 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 h 06 min in early September to 14 h 24 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 4.7 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Rotorua?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a reasonable time to visit Rotorua for sightseeing.
What to pack for Rotorua in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Rotorua sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 7°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 37 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Rotorua in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 15°C across spring — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Cool |
| Feb | 21 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 20 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 19 | Cool |
| May | 18 | Cool |
| Jun | 16 | Cool |
| Jul | 15 | Bracing |
| Aug | 14 | Bracing |
| Sep | 14 | Bracing |
| Oct | 15 | Cool |
| Nov | 16 | Cool |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Rotorua in Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages around 8 — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 8 | Very high |
| Apr | 5 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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
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.