Whakatane weather in March

In March, Whakatane sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 101 mm of rain across 8.7 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 34% 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 Whakatane's 3rd-clearest and 10th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whakatane's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
14°
10th coldest
Rainfall
101 mm
8.7 wet days
Daylight
12 h 18 min
7:13 AM – 7:31 PM
Cloud cover
54%
3rd clearest
Wind
12 km/h
10th windiest
Solar energy
4.62 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.8
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 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 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 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
72215
82215
92215
102215
112214
122114
132114
142114
152114
162114
172114
182114
192114
202114
212114
222114
232114
242114
252114
262114
272114
282114
292114
302014
312014

Whakatane 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° / 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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 22% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 43%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15842
25842
35941
45941
55941
65941
75941
85842
95941
105842
115941
125941
135842
145941
155842
165842
175743
185743
195644
205644
215644
225545
235545
245446
255446
265446
275446
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Whakatane gets around 101 mm of rain over 8.7 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 28% and peaks near 32% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
228
328
428
527
627
727
827
927
1026
1126
1226
1326
1426
1526
1626
1726
1826
1926
2027
2127
2228
2328
2429
2529
2630
2730
2830
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 44% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
13336246
23536246
33636235
43737225
53837215
63937204
74037194
84237184
94337174
104437164
114537153
124537153
134637143
144638143
154638142
164638142
174638142
184638142
194638142
204638152
214637152
224637162
234537162
244536172
254536172
264535172
274635182
284734182
294733182
304932182
315031182

Wind in March

Winds average 12 km/h in March.

Across March, daily wind ranges from about 12 km/h on the calmest days to 12 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

051015151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
112calm
212calm
312calm
412light breeze
512light breeze
612light breeze
712light breeze
812light breeze
912light breeze
1012light breeze
1112light breeze
1212light breeze
1312light breeze
1412light breeze
1512light breeze
1612light breeze
1712light breeze
1812calm
1912calm
2012calm
2112calm
2212calm
2312calm
2412calm
2512calm
2612calm
2712calm
2812calm
2912calm
3012calm
3112calm

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 6:58 AM to 7:27 AM, and sunset from 7:53 PM to 7:07 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.96:587:53
212.96:597:52
312.87:007:50
412.87:017:49
512.87:027:47
612.77:037:46
712.77:047:44
812.67:057:43
912.67:067:41
1012.67:077:40
1112.57:087:38
1212.57:097:37
1312.47:107:35
1412.47:117:34
1512.37:127:32
1612.37:137:31
1712.37:147:29
1812.27:157:28
1912.27:157:26
2012.17:167:25
2112.17:177:23
2212.17:187:21
2312.07:197:20
2412.07:207:18
2511.97:217:17
2611.97:227:15
2711.87:237:14
2811.87:247:12
2911.87:257:10
3011.77:267:09
3111.77:277:07

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.62 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 — March's 4.62 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.2Bright
25.2Bright
35.1Bright
45.1Bright
55.1Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
94.9Bright
104.9Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.8Bright
144.7Bright
154.7Bright
164.7Bright
174.6Bright
184.6Bright
194.5Bright
204.5Bright
214.4Bright
224.4Bright
234.3Bright
244.3Bright
254.3Bright
264.2Bright
274.1Bright
284.1Bright
294.0Bright
304.0Moderate
313.9Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Hazard calendar for Whakatane

In seasonPeak

In March, 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 March a good time to visit Whakatane?

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

6.8
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
4.3
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Whakatane for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whakatane in March

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

In March, Whakatane sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 14°C. Worth packing: rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

rain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Whakatane 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 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 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 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
March 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).