Average Sunshine a Year in New Zealand

Yearly averages for the hours of sunshine at cities and towns across New Zealand are listed here.

Each place has a daily average and an annual total of the hours of sunshine it typically receives. The hours of sun are averages of weather data collected from 1991 to 2020.

North Island

Average hours of sunshine a year
Place Day Annual
Auckland 6 2345
Gisborne 6 2296
Hamilton 6 2034
Kaitaia 6 2132
Masterton 6 2077
Napier 6 2334
New Plymouth 6 2318
Palmerston North 5 1772
Tauranga 7 2402
Thames 5 1975
Wellington 6 2094
Whangarei 6 2187

South Island

Annual average hours of sun
Place Day Annual
Akaroa 6 2161
Blenheim 7 2521
Christchurch 6 2128
Dunedin 5 1776
Franz Josef 3 1169
Greymouth 5 1846
Invercargill 5 1834
Lake Tekapo 7 2505
Mt Cook 4 1607
Nelson 7 2497
Queenstown 5 1899
Timaru 5 1918
Reference

NIWA (New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research). The National Climate Database.

New Zealand Sunshine
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