Whangarei in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Whangarei sees average daytime highs around 23°C and overnight lows near 16°C, with 214 mm of rain over about 27 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 21°C in early December to 23°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels comfortable.
Summer is Whangarei's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Whangarei's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 23°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 16°C
- Rainfall
- 214 mm
- 27 wet days
- Avg wind
- 15 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.7
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Whangarei in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 21°C in early December to 23°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Whangarei reaches about 23°C and drops to 16°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Whangarei weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) 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 | 23° / 16° | 68 | 8.3 | 14.1 | 6.9 |
| Feb | 23° / 17° | 67 | 7.9 | 13.4 | 6.9 |
| Mar | 22° / 15° | 74 | 8.7 | 12.3 | 6.8 |
| Apr | 20° / 13° | 66 | 8.9 | 11.1 | 6.3 |
| May | 17° / 11° | 75 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 5.7 |
| Jun | 15° / 9° | 90 | 9.9 | 9.6 | 4.7 |
| Jul | 15° / 8° | 112 | 12.9 | 9.8 | 4.0 |
| Aug | 15° / 8° | 96 | 14 | 10.6 | 4.1 |
| Sep | 16° / 9° | 83 | 12.7 | 11.8 | 4.7 |
| Oct | 17° / 11° | 69 | 10.7 | 12.9 | 5.4 |
| Nov | 19° / 12° | 65 | 10.4 | 13.9 | 5.9 |
| Dec | 21° / 15° | 79 | 10.5 | 14.4 | 6.3 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 16% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Whangarei gets around 214 mm of rain over 27 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels comfortable — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 15 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 12 min in early December to 12 h 54 min by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 6.1 kWh/m².
Hazard calendar for Whangarei
In summer, Whangarei overlaps 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.
Is summer a good time to visit Whangarei?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Whangarei for sightseeing.
What to pack for Whangarei in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Whangarei sees daytime highs around 23°C and nights near 16°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: light clothes and rain gear. About 27 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Whangarei in Summer
The nearest coast averages about 20°C across summer — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 20 | 21 | 21 | 20 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
| Comfort | Cool | Refreshing | Refreshing | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool | Cool |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 20 | Cool |
| Feb | 21 | Refreshing |
| Mar | 21 | Refreshing |
| Apr | 20 | Cool |
| May | 18 | Cool |
| Jun | 17 | Cool |
| Jul | 16 | Cool |
| Aug | 15 | Cool |
| Sep | 15 | Cool |
| Oct | 16 | Cool |
| Nov | 17 | Cool |
| Dec | 18 | Cool |
UV index in Whangarei in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 13 | 12 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | High | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 13 | Extreme |
| Feb | 12 | Extreme |
| Mar | 8 | Very high |
| Apr | 6 | High |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2 | Moderate |
| Jul | 3 | Moderate |
| Aug | 4 | Moderate |
| Sep | 5 | High |
| Oct | 8 | Very high |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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 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.