Tauranga weather in May

In May, Tauranga sees average daytime highs of 16°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 113 mm of rain across 9.9 wet days and about 10 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 15°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Tauranga's 2nd-clearest and 9th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tauranga's year-round climate.

Daytime high
16°
8th warmest
Overnight low
11°
6th coldest
Rainfall
113 mm
9.9 wet days
Daylight
10 hours
8:12 AM – 6:11 PM
Cloud cover
52%
2nd clearest
Wind
14 km/h
9th windiest
Solar energy
2.4 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
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 May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 17°C in the first days to 15°C by the end.

A typical May day in Tauranga reaches about 16°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 6°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11712
21712
31711
41711
51711
61711
71711
81711
91711
101711
111711
121711
131611
141611
151611
161611
171611
181611
191610
201610
211610
221610
231610
241510
251510
261510
271510
281510
291510
30159
31159

Tauranga weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 5th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 42% of the time in May.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 42%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35842
45743
55743
65644
75743
85743
95743
105743
115743
125743
135743
145743
155743
165743
175743
185842
195842
205842
215842
225941
235941
245941
255941
265941
275941
285941
295941
305941
316040

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitation

Tauranga gets around 113 mm of rain over 9.9 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 32% and peaks near 34% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
132
232
332
432
532
632
732
831
931
1031
1131
1230
1330
1431
1531
1631
1732
1832
1933
2033
2133
2233
2333
2434
2534
2634
2734
2834
2934
3033
3133

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 83% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
174188
274188
374188
476177
576177
677167
777167
879156
979156
1080146
1180146
1281145
1382135
1482135
1583134
1683134
1783134
1883134
1984133
2084133
2185123
2286122
2386122
2487112
2588111
2688111
2789101
2889101
2989101
309091
319091

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
613light breeze
713light breeze
813light breeze
913light breeze
1013light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 30 min at the start of May to 9 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 54 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 7:59 AM to 8:24 AM, and sunset from 6:26 PM to 6:01 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.57:596:26
210.48:006:25
310.48:006:24
410.48:016:23
510.38:026:22
610.38:036:21
710.38:046:20
810.28:056:19
910.28:066:17
1010.28:076:16
1110.18:086:15
1210.18:096:14
1310.18:106:14
1410.08:116:13
1510.08:116:12
1610.08:126:11
179.98:136:10
189.98:146:09
199.98:156:08
209.98:166:08
219.88:176:07
229.88:176:06
239.88:186:06
249.88:196:05
259.78:206:04
269.78:216:04
279.78:216:03
289.78:226:03
299.78:236:02
309.68:246:02
319.68:246:01

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.4 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 — May's 2.4 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.8Moderate
22.8Moderate
32.8Moderate
42.7Moderate
52.7Moderate
62.7Moderate
72.6Moderate
82.6Moderate
92.6Moderate
102.5Moderate
112.5Moderate
122.5Moderate
132.5Moderate
142.4Moderate
152.4Moderate
162.4Moderate
172.4Moderate
182.3Moderate
192.3Moderate
202.3Moderate
212.3Moderate
222.2Moderate
232.2Moderate
242.2Moderate
252.2Moderate
262.2Moderate
272.1Moderate
282.1Moderate
292.1Moderate
302.1Moderate
312.1Moderate
Planning a trip in May

Hazard calendar for Tauranga

In seasonPeak

None of Tauranga's seasonal hazards are active in May. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do peak.

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 May a good time to visit Tauranga?

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

5.2
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.8
Beach & pool
8th-best month of the year

May is a reasonable time to visit Tauranga for sightseeing.

What to pack for Tauranga in May

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

In May, Tauranga sees daytime highs around 16°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Tauranga in May

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 3. 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
May 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).