Whangarei weather in December

In December, Whangarei sees average daytime highs of 21°C and overnight lows near 15°C, with 79 mm of rain across 10.5 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 22°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 12 min at the start of December to 14 h 24 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Whangarei's 11th-clearest and 7th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Whangarei's year-round climate.

Daytime high
21°
4th warmest
Overnight low
15°
9th coldest
Rainfall
79 mm
10.5 wet days
Daylight
14 h 24 min
6:07 AM – 8:31 PM
Cloud cover
70%
11th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
7th windiest
Solar energy
6.24 kWh/m²
Travel score
6.3
out of 10

Whangarei is city in New Zealand.

Air quality
Excellent
PM10 15 µg/m³ · 2012
Density
892/km²
people per km²
Founded
1882

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

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 21°C in the first days to 22°C by the end.

A typical December day in Whangarei reaches about 21°C in the afternoon and slips back to 15°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 24°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 2°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°30°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
12114
22114
32114
42114
52114
62114
72114
82114
92114
102114
112114
122114
132114
142114
152115
162215
172215
182215
192215
202215
212215
222215
232215
242215
252215
262215
272215
282215
292215
302215
312215

Whangarei weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 5th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan23° / 16°688.314.16.9
Feb23° / 17°677.913.46.9
Mar22° / 15°748.712.36.8
Apr20° / 13°668.911.16.3
May17° / 11°759.610.15.7
Jun15° / 909.99.64.7
Jul15° / 11212.99.84.0
Aug15° / 961410.64.1
Sep16° / 8312.711.84.7
Oct17° / 11°6910.712.95.4
Nov19° / 12°6510.413.95.9
Dec21° / 15°7910.514.46.3

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 15% of the time in December.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 19% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 66%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
13169
23268
33169
43268
53268
63367
73367
83367
93367
103367
113367
123466
133466
143466
153367
163367
173367
183367
193268
203268
213367
223367
233367
243367
253466
263466
273466
283664
293664
303763
313862

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Whangarei gets around 79 mm of rain over 10.5 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 33% and peaks near 35% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
434
533
633
733
833
934
1034
1134
1234
1335
1435
1535
1635
1735
1835
1935
2035
2135
2234
2334
2433
2533
2632
2731
2830
2930
3029
3129

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 43% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)Muggy (%)
15232160
25032171
34933171
44833181
54733191
64633201
74633201
84533211
94532212
104432222
114431222
124431223
134431223
144430234
154430234
164330234
174330234
184330235
194230235
204230235
214131235
224131235
234031235
244032245
253932245
263932245
273833254
283833254
293734254
303634264
313535264

Wind in December

Winds average 15 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 15 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
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light 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 December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min at the start of December to 14 h 24 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 6:05 AM to 6:14 AM, and sunset from 8:20 PM to 8:38 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.26:058:20
214.36:058:21
314.36:058:22
414.36:058:22
514.36:058:23
614.36:058:24
714.36:058:25
814.36:058:26
914.46:058:26
1014.46:058:27
1114.46:058:28
1214.46:068:28
1314.46:068:29
1414.46:068:30
1514.46:068:30
1614.46:078:31
1714.46:078:32
1814.46:078:32
1914.46:088:33
2014.46:088:33
2114.46:098:34
2214.46:098:34
2314.46:098:35
2414.46:108:35
2514.46:118:36
2614.46:118:36
2714.46:128:36
2814.46:128:37
2914.46:138:37
3014.46:148:37
3114.46:148:38

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.24 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 2.01 kWh/m² to a high of 6.67 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.24 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.1Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.2Intense
76.2Intense
86.2Intense
96.2Intense
106.2Intense
116.2Intense
126.3Intense
136.3Intense
146.3Intense
156.3Intense
166.3Intense
176.3Intense
186.3Intense
196.4Intense
206.4Intense
216.4Intense
226.5Intense
236.5Intense
246.6Intense
256.6Intense
266.7Intense
276.8Intense
286.8Intense
296.8Intense
306.9Intense
316.9Intense
Planning a trip in December

Hazard calendar for Whangarei

In seasonPeak

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

Whangarei 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 Whangarei?

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

6.3
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
4.1
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Whangarei for sightseeing.

What to pack for Whangarei in December

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

In December, Whangarei sees daytime highs around 21°C and nights near 15°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Whangarei 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 30 km away) 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 Apr 5 — about 2.4 months when the water holds above 20°C.

14°16°18°20°22°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcoolrefreshingcomfortable to swim
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan20Cool
Feb21Refreshing
Mar21Refreshing
Apr20Cool
May18Cool
Jun17Cool
Jul16Cool
Aug15Cool
Sep15Cool
Oct16Cool
Nov17Cool
Dec18Cool

UV index in Whangarei 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 Whangarei peaks around January 14 at about 13 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 17 at about 2 (moderate).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 10 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeVery highHighModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 13Jun 17UV 2
UV index (midday)Level
Jan13Extreme
Feb12Extreme
Mar8Very high
Apr6High
May3Moderate
Jun2Moderate
Jul3Moderate
Aug4Moderate
Sep5High
Oct8Very high
Nov11Extreme
Dec12Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Whangarei?

Whangarei sits at 35.7°S, 174.3°E, 7 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is North Shore, 125 km away.

North ShoreMassey EastMasseyTe Atatu PeninsulaLincolnTe Atatu SouthAucklandHenderson

Topography around Whangarei

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

Within 3 km, the terrain around Whangarei has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 271 m around an average of 51 m above sea level; within 16 km, significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 389 m; within 80 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 761 m.

The land around Whangarei is covered by trees (49%) and artificial surfaces (25%) within 3 km, trees (44%) and grassland (42%) within 16 km, and water (52%), grassland (26%) and trees (22%) within 80 km.

3 km
271 m
16 km
389 m
80 km
761 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwatermangroves
December weather nearby: North Shore 125 km · Massey East 125 km · Massey 126 km · Te Atatu Peninsula 127 km · Lincoln 128 km · Te Atatu South 129 km · Auckland 130 km · Henderson 130 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 Whangarei (-35.7317°, 174.3239°, elevation 7 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).