Tauranga weather in March

In March, Tauranga sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 96 mm of rain across 9.2 wet days and about 12.3 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 20°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 54 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Tauranga's 3rd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tauranga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
15°
10th coldest
Rainfall
96 mm
9.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:16 AM – 7:34 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.72 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.7
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 March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 22°C in the first days to 20°C by the end.

A typical March day in Tauranga reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 19°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12215
22215
32215
42215
52215
62215
72115
82115
92115
102115
112115
122115
132115
142115
152115
162115
172115
182114
192114
202114
212114
222114
232114
242114
252014
262014
272014
282014
292014
302014
312014

Tauranga weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 9th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 35% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 20% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15644
25644
35644
45644
55743
65743
75743
85743
95842
105743
115842
125842
135842
145842
155842
165743
175743
185644
195644
205545
215545
225446
235347
245347
255347
265248
275248
285149
295149
305149
315149

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Tauranga gets around 96 mm of rain over 9.2 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 29% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
130
229
329
429
529
629
729
828
928
1028
1128
1228
1327
1427
1527
1628
1728
1828
1928
2029
2129
2229
2330
2430
2530
2630
2731
2831
2931
3031
3132

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 42% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13237246
23437235
33537235
43637225
53837215
63936204
74036194
84136194
94236184
104336174
114336173
124437163
134437163
144437163
154438162
164438162
174438162
184438172
194338172
204338182
214337182
224237192
234237192
244237202
254236202
264236212
274235212
284335212
294434212
304533202
314633202

Wind in March

Winds average 14 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 14 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light 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
1813light breeze
1913light breeze
2013light breeze
2113light breeze
2213light breeze
2313light breeze
2413light breeze
2513light breeze
2613light breeze
2713light breeze
2813light breeze
2913light breeze
3013light breeze
3113light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min at the start of March to 11 h 42 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 72 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:01 AM to 7:30 AM, and sunset from 7:56 PM to 7:11 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.97:017:56
212.97:027:55
312.87:037:53
412.87:047:52
512.87:057:50
612.77:067:49
712.77:077:47
812.67:087:46
912.67:097:45
1012.57:107:43
1112.57:117:42
1212.57:127:40
1312.47:137:39
1412.47:147:37
1512.37:157:36
1612.37:167:34
1712.37:177:32
1812.27:187:31
1912.27:197:29
2012.17:207:28
2112.17:217:26
2212.17:227:25
2312.07:237:23
2412.07:237:22
2511.97:247:20
2611.97:257:18
2711.87:267:17
2811.87:277:15
2911.87:287:14
3011.77:297:12
3111.77:307:11

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.72 kWh/m².

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 — March's 4.72 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.3Bright
45.2Bright
55.2Bright
65.2Bright
75.1Bright
85.1Bright
95.0Bright
105.0Bright
115.0Bright
124.9Bright
134.9Bright
144.8Bright
154.8Bright
164.8Bright
174.7Bright
184.7Bright
194.6Bright
204.6Bright
214.5Bright
224.5Bright
234.4Bright
244.4Bright
254.3Bright
264.3Bright
274.2Bright
284.2Bright
294.1Bright
304.1Bright
314.0Bright
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Tauranga

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Tauranga?

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

6.7
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Tauranga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tauranga in March

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

In March, Tauranga sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 15°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Tauranga in March

The nearest coast averages about 20°C in March — 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 March

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks 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 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
March 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).