Annual Rainfall Averages for New Zealand
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
| 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
| 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.