Whakatane in Winter
In winter (June, July and August), Whakatane sees average daytime highs around 14°C and overnight lows near 8°C, with 400 mm of rain over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the coldest season of the year and the wettest season of the year.
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 14°C. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter, and the air most often feels dry.
Winter is Whakatane's weakest season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Whakatane's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 14°C
- coldest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 8°C
- Rainfall
- 400 mm
- 33 wet days
- Avg wind
- 13 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.0
- weakest season of the year
- Months
- Jun · Jul · Aug
Temperature in Whakatane in Winter
Across winter, daytime highs hold fairly steady around 14°C.
A typical winter day in Whakatane reaches about 14°C and drops to 8°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is June, the coolest July.
Whakatane weather by month
How the three winter months (June, July and August) 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 Winter
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 38% of the time across winter.
Chance of precipitation in Winter
Whakatane gets around 400 mm of rain over 33 wet days across winter. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Winter
Most of winter feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Winter
Winds average 13 km/h across winter.
Sunrise & sunset in Winter
Daylight runs from about 9 h 36 min in early June to 11 h 06 min by late August. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Winter
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across winter, about 2.3 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Whakatane
None of Whakatane's seasonal hazards peak in winter. The full-year calendar below shows when the rainy season, cyclone risk and dust haze do.
Whakatane sits in the South Indian Ocean cyclone belt; the season peaks January–March.
Is winter a good time to visit Whakatane?
Our two travel scores rate winter for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
winter is a reasonable time to visit Whakatane for sightseeing.
What to pack for Whakatane in Winter
From winter's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In winter, Whakatane sees daytime highs around 14°C and nights near 8°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 33 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Whakatane in Winter
The nearest coast averages about 15°C across winter — 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 Winter
Clear-sky midday UV across winter averages around 3. 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.