Tauranga weather in January

In January, Tauranga sees average daytime highs of 22°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 85 mm of rain across 9.5 wet days and about 14.3 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in January, and the air most often feels comfortable.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Tauranga's 7th-clearest and 8th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tauranga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
22°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
16°
11th coldest
Rainfall
85 mm
9.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 18 min
6:14 AM – 8:35 PM
Cloud cover
57%
7th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
8th windiest
Solar energy
7.05 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
out of 10

Tauranga is city in New Zealand's North Island.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 12.2 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
958/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 22°C through the month.

A typical January day in Tauranga reaches about 22°C in the afternoon and slips back to 16°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 20°C and 25°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 2°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12115
22215
32215
42215
52215
62215
72215
82215
92215
102215
112215
122215
132216
142216
152216
162216
172216
182216
192216
202216
212216
222216
232216
242316
252316
262316
272316
282316
292316
302316
312316

Tauranga weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 12th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 16°859.514.36.8
Feb22° / 16°948.413.56.8
Mar21° / 15°969.212.36.7
Apr19° / 13°1179.611.16.1
May16° / 11°1139.9105.2
Jun14° / 12910.79.44.1
Jul13° / 13411.69.73.6
Aug14° / 11712.510.53.8
Sep15° / 1121211.74.4
Oct17° / 10°9712.2135.1
Nov19° / 12°8910.4145.8
Dec21° / 14°11211.914.66.1

Cloud cover in January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 52%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14852
24951
34951
44951
55050
65050
75050
84951
94951
105050
115050
124951
134951
144852
154852
164951
174951
184951
194852
204951
214852
224852
234852
244753
254753
264654
274654
284654
294555
304555
314555

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Tauranga gets around 85 mm of rain over 9.5 wet days in January, the driest month. 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 33% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
131
231
331
430
530
630
731
831
931
1031
1132
1232
1333
1433
1533
1633
1733
1833
1933
2033
2132
2232
2332
2431
2531
2630
2730
2830
2929
3029
3129

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the comfortable band about 35% of days. Sticky, muggy-or-worse air turns up on roughly 6% of them.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
14034233
23934234
33934244
43834244
53735244
63735244
73635244
83635244
93536244
103536245
113436245
123437255
133337255
143337256
153237256
163138256
173138266
183037266
193037267
202937277
212936277
222936288
232935288
242935288
252935289
262834289
272834289
282834299
292933299
302933299
312933299

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January.

Across January, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 36 min at the start of January to 13 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 42 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 6:02 AM to 6:30 AM, and sunset from 8:35 PM to 8:27 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.66:028:35
214.66:028:36
314.56:038:36
414.56:048:36
514.56:058:36
614.56:058:36
714.56:068:36
814.56:078:36
914.56:088:36
1014.46:098:36
1114.46:108:36
1214.46:118:36
1314.46:128:35
1414.46:138:35
1514.46:148:35
1614.36:148:35
1714.36:158:34
1814.36:168:34
1914.36:178:34
2014.26:188:33
2114.26:208:33
2214.26:218:33
2314.26:228:32
2414.16:238:32
2514.16:248:31
2614.16:258:30
2714.16:268:30
2814.06:278:29
2914.06:288:29
3014.06:298:28
3113.96:308:27

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.05 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.94 kWh/m² to a high of 7.05 kWh/m² in January across the year — January's 7.05 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.3Intense
27.3Intense
37.3Intense
47.3Intense
57.3Intense
67.3Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.1Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.8Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.7Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.6Intense
236.6Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.5Intense
276.5Intense
286.5Intense
296.5Intense
306.4Intense
316.4Intense
Planning a trip in January

Hazard calendar for Tauranga

In seasonPeak

In January, Tauranga sits inside its cyclone season. The full year is below, with each hazard's peak months called out.

Tauranga sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.

Cyclone
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Is January a good time to visit Tauranga?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
1st-best month of the year
4.8
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Tauranga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tauranga in January

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

In January, Tauranga sees daytime highs around 22°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionlight clothesrain gear

Sea temperature near Tauranga in January

The nearest coast averages about 20°C in January — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea offshore is warmest in February at about 21°C and coldest in August near 15°C.

It's comfortable for a long swim from Jan 22 to Mar 26 — 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
Jul15Cool
Aug15Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Tauranga in January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January peaks around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Tauranga peaks around January 1 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 highModerateModerateVery highExtremeJan 1UV 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 Tauranga?

Tauranga sits at 37.7°S, 176.2°E, 18 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rotorua, 51 km away.

TaupoPukekohe EastPapakura

Topography around Tauranga

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tauranga has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 57 m around an average of 9 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 595 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,130 m.

The land around Tauranga is covered by water (43%) and artificial surfaces (28%) within 3 km, water (41%), trees (26%) and grassland (25%) within 16 km, and water (35%), grassland (34%) and trees (27%) within 80 km.

3 km
57 m
16 km
595 m
80 km
1,130 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
January weather nearby: Rotorua 51 km · Cambridge 67 km · Hamilton East 78 km · Whakatane 78 km · Hamilton 78 km · Taupo 111 km · Pukekohe East 120 km · Papakura 128 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 Tauranga (-37.6861°, 176.1667°, elevation 18 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. Tropical-cyclone seasons are the published climatological basin seasons (NOAA National Hurricane Center / regional warning centres). 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).