Whakatane in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Whakatane sees average daytime highs around 19°C and overnight lows near 12°C, with 337 mm of rain over about 28 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 22°C in early March to 15°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Whakatane's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Whakatane's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 19°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 12°C
- Rainfall
- 337 mm
- 28 wet days
- Avg wind
- 12 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.1
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Whakatane in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 22°C in early March to 15°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Whakatane reaches about 19°C and drops to 12°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
Whakatane weather by month
How the three fall months (March, April and May) 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° / 15° | 88 | 9.1 | 14.3 | 6.9 |
| Feb | 23° / 16° | 94 | 8 | 13.5 | 6.9 |
| Mar | 21° / 14° | 101 | 8.7 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 19° / 12° | 117 | 9.7 | 11 | 6.2 |
| May | 16° / 10° | 119 | 9.6 | 10 | 5.4 |
| Jun | 14° / 8° | 139 | 10.5 | 9.4 | 4.2 |
| Jul | 14° / 7° | 137 | 11 | 9.6 | 3.8 |
| Aug | 14° / 7° | 124 | 11.2 | 10.5 | 4.1 |
| Sep | 15° / 9° | 119 | 11.2 | 11.7 | 4.6 |
| Oct | 17° / 10° | 110 | 11.4 | 13 | 5.4 |
| Nov | 19° / 12° | 93 | 9.6 | 14.1 | 6.1 |
| Dec | 21° / 14° | 117 | 11.6 | 14.6 | 6.2 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Whakatane gets around 337 mm of rain over 28 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 12 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 12 h 54 min in early March to 9 h 36 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.4 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Whakatane
In fall, Whakatane overlaps 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.
Is fall a good time to visit Whakatane?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Whakatane for sightseeing.
What to pack for Whakatane in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Whakatane sees daytime highs around 19°C and nights near 12°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 28 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Whakatane in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 19°C across fall — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 20 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 18 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 15 | 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 | 15 | Bracing |
| Oct | 15 | Cool |
| Nov | 16 | Cool |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Whakatane in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 5 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.
| 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 | 10 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Moderate | 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 | Moderate |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 7 | Very high |
| Nov | 10 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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 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.