Annual Rainfall Averages for New Zealand

Share |

The tables below give yearly averages for rainfall at cities and towns across New Zealand.

You can jump to separate tables for places on the North Island and South Island.

Each place has a total for how many days of wet weather it usually gets a year and for the normal amount of precipitation. The calculation of days only includes the days when rain totalled at least one millimetre (0.04 inches).

These annual precipitation statistics are long-term historical averages of weather data collected during 1981 to 2010.

North Island

Average yearly precipitation
Days Place Inches Millimetres
136 Auckland   47.7 1211
107 Gisborne   38.5   979
125 Hamilton   43.6 1108
134 Kaitaia   53.1 1349
130 Masterton   36.3   923
  88 Napier   30.6   776
136 New Plymouth   55.0 1398
121 Palmerston North   36.2   920
118 Rotorua   53.5 1359
109 Taupo   37.6   955
110 Tauranga   46.3 1177
116 Wanganui   36.1   917
122 Wellington   47.9 1215
132 Whangarei   51.9 1318

South Island

Average amount of rain a year
Days Place Inches Millimetres
  65 Alexandra   13.2   335
  82 Blenheim   28.4   720
  84 Christchurch   24.3   618
114 Dunedin   28.6   726
172 Hokitika 114.2 2901
161 Invercargill   45.1 1147
  84 Kaikoura   27.4   696
  79 Lake Tekapo   23.3   592
126 Manapouri - Te Anau   43.0 1092
189 Milford Sound 264.4 6715
164 Mt Cook, Hermitage 176.8 4491
  93 Nelson   37.4   951
  97 Queenstown   29.2   741
  76 Timaru   21.5   547
174 Westport   84.8 2154
Reference

NIWA (National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research). Climate Data and Activities.

Share |

Average Weather

New Zealand Rain

WEATHER AVERAGES

Weather Extremes

Science Articles