Whakatane weather in December

In December, Whakatane sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 117 mm of rain across 11.6 wet days and about 14.6 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 24 min at the start of December to 14 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Whakatane's 12th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whakatane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
4th warmest
Overnight low
14°
9th coldest
Rainfall
117 mm
11.6 wet days
Daylight
14 h 36 min
5:50 AM – 8:27 PM
Cloud cover
63%
12th clearest
Wind
13 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.49 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.2
out of 10

Whakatane is town in Bay of Plenty, New Zealand.

Density
4/km²
people per km²

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 21°C through the month.

A typical December day in Whakatane reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 7°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 18°C and 23°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12013
22013
32013
42013
52014
62014
72014
82014
92014
102114
112114
122114
132114
142114
152114
162114
172114
182114
192114
202114
212114
222115
232115
242115
252115
262115
272115
282115
292215
302215
312215

Whakatane weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 7th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan22° / 15°889.114.36.9
Feb23° / 16°94813.56.9
Mar21° / 14°1018.712.36.8
Apr19° / 12°1179.7116.2
May16° / 10°1199.6105.4
Jun14° / 13910.59.44.2
Jul14° / 137119.63.8
Aug14° / 12411.210.54.1
Sep15° / 11911.211.74.6
Oct17° / 10°11011.4135.4
Nov19° / 12°939.614.16.1
Dec21° / 14°11711.614.66.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 24% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 21% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14357
24456
34456
44555
54456
64555
74555
84555
94654
104654
114654
124753
134753
144753
154654
164654
174654
184654
194555
204555
214555
224555
234555
244555
254555
264654
274654
284753
294852
304852
314951

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Whakatane gets around 117 mm of rain over 11.6 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 37% and peaks near 39% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
135
236
336
437
537
638
738
838
939
1039
1139
1239
1339
1439
1539
1639
1739
1839
1939
2038
2138
2237
2336
2436
2535
2634
2733
2833
2932
3031
3130

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 47% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15830120
25730130
35531140
45431150
55332150
65232160
75232160
85033170
94933171
104833181
114833181
124833181
134733191
144733191
154733192
164733192
174633192
184633192
194633192
204633192
214533192
224533202
234533202
244433203
254433203
264333203
274333213
284334213
294234213
304235213
314135213

Wind in December

Winds average 13 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 13 km/h on the calmest days to 13 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
1113light breeze
1213light breeze
1313light breeze
1413light breeze
1513light breeze
1613light breeze
1713light 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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 24 min at the start of December to 14 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 5:57 AM, and sunset from 8:15 PM to 8:33 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.45:498:15
214.55:488:16
314.55:488:17
414.55:488:18
514.55:488:19
614.55:488:19
714.55:488:20
814.55:488:21
914.65:488:22
1014.65:488:23
1114.65:498:23
1214.65:498:24
1314.65:498:25
1414.65:498:26
1514.65:498:26
1614.65:508:27
1714.65:508:27
1814.65:508:28
1914.65:518:29
2014.65:518:29
2114.65:518:30
2214.65:528:30
2314.65:528:31
2414.65:538:31
2514.65:538:31
2614.65:548:32
2714.65:558:32
2814.65:558:32
2914.65:568:33
3014.65:578:33
3114.65:578:33

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.49 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.9 kWh/m² to a high of 6.93 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.49 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.4Intense
26.4Intense
36.4Intense
46.4Intense
56.4Intense
66.4Intense
76.4Intense
86.5Intense
96.5Intense
106.5Intense
116.5Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.6Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.7Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.8Intense
236.8Intense
246.9Intense
256.9Intense
267.0Intense
277.0Intense
287.1Intense
297.2Intense
307.2Intense
317.2Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Whakatane

In seasonPeak

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

Whakatane 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 December a good time to visit Whakatane?

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

6.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
3.7
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Whakatane for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whakatane in December

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

In December, Whakatane sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 12 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Whakatane in December

The nearest coast averages about 18°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 13 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 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
Jul15Bracing
Aug14Bracing
Sep15Bracing
Oct15Cool
Nov16Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Whakatane in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December 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 Whakatane peaks around December 23 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 23UV 12Jun 18UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan12Extreme
Feb11Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr5Moderate
May3Moderate
Jun2Low
Jul2Moderate
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct7Very high
Nov10Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whakatane?

Whakatane sits at 38.0°S, 177.0°E, 11 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rotorua, 68 km away.

TaupoGisborneCambridgeHamilton EastHamiltonNapier

Topography around Whakatane

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whakatane has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 209 m around an average of 36 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 376 m; within 80 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,483 m.

The land around Whakatane is covered by trees (29%) and grassland (27%) within 3 km, water (45%), trees (25%) and grassland (24%) within 16 km, and trees (45%) and water (38%) within 80 km.

3 km
209 m
16 km
376 m
80 km
1,483 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwaterwetland
December weather nearby: Rotorua 68 km · Tauranga 78 km · Taupo 113 km · Gisborne 118 km · Cambridge 136 km · Hamilton East 150 km · Hamilton 151 km · Napier 171 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 Whakatane (-37.9586°, 176.9854°, elevation 11 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).