Just a general thread for the weather in NZ, for when it may not be a major event.

You could have family and/or friends over there, or come across some interesting weather that may have happened recently over there and just want to relay information about the weather. Or you may be travelling over there, or recently travelled in Un-Zud and want to discuss the weather you experience (or could experience).

I'll be departing on the Sea Princess from Sydney (Circular Quay) on Thursday afternoon (29/12). Will be at sea on the 30/12 and 31/12. Visiting the Bay of Islands (1/1/12), Auckland (2/1), Tauranga (3/1), Napier (4/1), Wellington (5/1), Akaroa (6/1), Dunedin (7/1) and cruising through the Fiordland National Park (8/1). Will be at sea on the 9/1 and 10/1, arriving in Sydney at 7am on the 11/1.

It looks like GFS/Extended GFS is settling on a Tasman high to dominate the weather pattern, even BOM's 10-day shows a Tasman high starting to influence NZ as ex-Fina weakens.
It should be fine and mild during the afternoon as we leave Sydney as a high starts to extend a ridge up the coast. I expect things may get a little rough during the 30th and NYE as we pass to the north of the weakening ex-Tropical Cyclone Fina.
Should be a couple of showers on NYD at the Bay of Islands but I suspect most of the showers will be heaviest over the inland parts of the Northland district (enhanced by convective heating). I would be surprised if there was anymore than 5mm on the coastline. There should be some light showers pass through Auckland and will probably clear by evening. Might be a couple of drizzly showers at Tauranga/Rotorua but I expect extended spells of fine weather though perhaps not necessarily sunny. The Tasman high should ensure that it is a fine day in Napier/Hastings and also the next day in Wellington.
I'm fairly confident with GFS's prediction up to the 5th but it becomes quite long-range and more unpredictable on the 6th and afterwards, especially as you start getting well into the "Roaring Forties".
There may be a couple of light showers along the Canterbury coast (including Akaroa/Christchurch) on the 6th in a southwesterly airstream but it should be fine at Arthurs Pass when we visit it during a tour that day. It could cold and a little showery during the morning in Dunedin, probably clearing up in the afternoon but that is dependant on the Tasman high.
It has been toying with a cold front moving through on the 7th/8th, either way it should be cool to cold and windy on the 8th and the Fiordland "scenic cruising" might be a nice refuge from the sea and the worst of the wind.
As we head back to Sydney, it looks like it could be rough and windy on the 9th (depending on the timing of the cold front and if a low forms east of NZ). Should become far more settled during the 10th and as we arrive on the morning of the 11th thanks to a Tasman high.

Weather during 13-day Sea Princess cruise to NZ:

Sailaway from Sydney (afternoon of the 29/12):
It was mild to warm and mostly sunny as we sailed out of Sydney Harbour. A bit breezy but the fair weather did continue into the evening at sea. Seas were slight at first, tending small by evening. Sydney Obs Hill max: 25ºC

At Sea (30/12):
The seas had picked up to 4.5-5m overnight as we came under the influence of a weakening Ex-Tropical Cyclone Fina. It was cloudy at times and cool, often sunny for an hour, then cloudy for an hour etc. As far as I could tell, no rain fell or if some had it was a light drizzle at best.

At Sea (31/12):
As we passed north of Ex-Tropical Cyclone Fina, the seas calmed down to a more moderate 3-3.5m. Most of the day was cloudy and cool. Once again, as far as I could tell, no rain fell but if any had at some stage it would've been no more than a light drizzle.

Bay Of Islands (1/1):
We sailed around the northern top of NZ (Cape Reinga) in the early hours of the 1st. It was a cloudy morning in the Bay Of Islands. The cloud broke to partly cloudy skies by late morning. It increased again to become mostly cloudy by mid afternoon. It was mild but humid in Paihia (not uncomfortable but you could feel the moisture in the air). You could definately tell that the northern tip of New Zealand is borderline subtropical.
Bay Of Islands Min: 17.4ºC / Max: 22.6ºC

Auckland (2/1):
Cloudy, breezy and cool morning. I did spy a couple of light showers about Auckland mid-morning. The cloud started to break around 11am, and it became increasingly sunny. The wind for a period of time in the early afternoon become strong. It was mostly sunny and mild by late afternoon and into the early evening as we sailed out of Auckland.
Auckland Min: 16.5ºC / Max: 19.7ºC

Tauranga/Rotorua (3/1):
It was a drizzly and cool morning in Tauranga and we did pass through a couple of moderate showers on the way out of the city. The showers began to clear around Te Puke, and by the time we got to Rotorua it was mostly cloudy, cool to mild but fine. It continued to be like this all day at Rotorua. When we returned to Tauranga it was cool to mild and mostly cloudy.
Tauranga Min: 15.9ºC / Max: 18.7ºC
Rotorua Min: 14.0ºC / Max: 18.1ºC

Napier/Hastings (4/1):
We sailed into Napier around midday (on-schedule), and it was nice and mild with some mid to high level cloud. It become mostly sunny by mid-afternoon, though mid/high level cloud increased slightly in the evening. We spent most of the afternoon around Hastings, and it was warm there. Little wind too, and I broke a light sweat in orchards at Pernel Fruitworld. Hastings was the warmest weather I experienced in NZ by a small margin over the Fiordlands on the 8th (even though temp in Milford Sound was warmer).
Napier Min: 13.1ºC / Max: 22.5ºC
Hastings Min: 12.9ºC / Max: 24.9ºC

Wellington (5/1):
It was mostly cloudy and cool morning in Wellington, not too much of a breeze. Between about 10am and 1pm it was partly cloudy and mild. The breeze gradually increased to a fresh wind by mid-afternoon, and it became mostly cloudy too. When we were at Kelburn (on the hills above the city) at the top of the cable car, the wind was about strong to gale force there. The cloud cleared as we exited Wellington Harbour, and entered a sunny Cook Strait. Seas were slight to small as we crossed the strait.
Wellington Min: 16.3ºC / Max: 20.4ºC
Kelburn Min: 15.3ºC / Max: 18.2ºC

Akaroa & Arthurs Pass (6/1):
It was sunny, calm and cool as we sailed into Akaroa Harbour. Cloud increased as we headed up into the hills of the Banks Peninsula. It was cloudy, cool to cold and breezy on the Canterbury Plains. The cloud started to clear around Springfield as we began the long though gradual ascent to Arthurs Pass. Arthurs Pass was sunny and mild to warm with a light breeze (probably the intensity of the sun at the higher elevation making it feel a bit warm too). It was mostly sunny during our time in the picturesque mountains, and as we headed back down on the TranzAlpine train. Cloud increased again on the plains, where it alternated between partly cloudy and mostly cloudy. When we returned to Akaroa it was mostly sunny and mild.
Christchurch Min: 5.9ºC / Max: 20.7ºC
(Queenstown was 24ºC on the 6th, so Arthurs Pass was probably around 22 degrees)

Dunedin (7/1):
A mostly cloudy and cool morning in Dunedin, There were some small puddles of water about on the Otago Peninsula, there must have been rain overnight there. The cloud started to burn off by late morning, and by afternoon it was mostly sunny and mild in Dunedin with a light wind. By late afternoon, cloud started to increase and it became cool.
Apparently seas overnight into the 8th as we slept were moderate as we passed through the Foveaux Strait (between Invercargill and Stewart Island).
Dunedin Min: 12.0ºC / Max: 20.0ºC


Fiordland National Park (8/1):
The sunniest weather I encountered in NZ was in the Fiordlands. It was a brilliant, sunny day. The wind was strong at times in Doubtful Sound (second sound we entered), fresh as we headed out of Milford Sound (third/final sound we entered). There was little to no wind in Dusky Sound (first sound we entered). There was snow on the highest peaks in the Fiordlands. It was amazing to be at sea level in warm conditions (excuse the ship's height) and see snow on the mountain tops. The air felt dry and so even though the temp was warmer than Hastings, the wind made it feel a touch cooler than Hastings. The captain said it was the best weather he'd experienced in the fiordlands. That day in Milford, Princess Cruises also shot some footage to possibly use in an advertisement, and had been waiting for such clear, sunny weather. A couple who had done the same cruise four times, had never seen it so clear and sunny. The fjords had experienced relatively dry weather over the previous few weeks, and so there were only three waterfalls flowing. The seas quickly picked up to around 3.5-4m as we sailed away from New Zealand.
Milford Sound Airport Min: 9.9ºC / Max: 25.7ºC

At Sea (9/1):
A cool start to the day. It was overcast and raining. The cloud and rain cleared in the afternoon to clear skies. Seas also calmed and became small.

At Sea (10/1):
Seas were small and the weather was mostly sunny and mild.

Sydney (morning of the 11/1):
There was high cloud as we sailed into Sydney. There was a warm westerly, and felt strange to feel a wind that temp at about 6:30am. Temp was about 22 degrees at Obs Hill when I checked on my mobile (I didn't have it on international roaming so couldn't use it in NZ), and I think the DP was about 4 to 5 degrees.

Will be heading to NZ for the first time 16th March. Not sure what to expect weatherwise.
Duane.

February/March are generally the most stable months weather-wise, but going by the non-Summer that just went, you could be looking at anything.

Seabreeze, sounds like a fun trip! You were lucky with the sunny weather in Fiordland, definetely a foehn wind working in reversal from the southeast on your days.

Did you take any photos?

Yes, over 2200 photos! About 50% made the cut into my final collection of cruise photos. I brought two different cameras with me, my old Olympus camera and new FujiFilm camera with me (filled the old one up). Both are just your fairly normal digital camera. I've been meaning to upload my photos for a while but I've had other commitments. It was an awesome holiday, and was disappointed when it came to an end. I will definately get over there again in my lifetime (I wouldn't mind moving to Dunedin).
Here's a small selection from the Bay of Islands (1/1/2012) and Auckland (2/1/2012):

Paihia (pronounced 'Pie-here'), a small tourist town in the Bay of Islands:


Looking south from the wharf area at Paihia:


Sailing (or should I say cruising?) out of the Bay of Islands:


Auckland CBD, taken from the Auckland Harbour Bridge:


Looking up Albert St, from outside of Westfield Downtown (a pretty average Westfield):


Auckland's iconic Ferry Building. The ferry terminal there was quite busy. Taken from Deck 14 on the Sea Princess:


Sailing away from Auckland CBD:


Sailing NE away from Auckland (CBD centre left), between the North Shore and Rangitoto Island, bound for Tauranga in the morning:


I will upload more from other locations that I visited in NZ when I get the chance (I'll try and make that sooner rather than later).

WOW over 2200 pics - well done Look foreward to seeing more soon.

Thanks Cloudz. For the important things, I took more than one photo in-case one was a bit blurry etc (sometimes they look ok on the little LCD screen but can look blurry when viewed on a larger screen on the laptop). So that bumped up the photo count.

Here's a couple from Tauranga/Rotorua (3/1/2012) and Napier/Hastings (4/1/2012):

Rachel, the Hottest Girl in Rotorua (more like the smelliest girl in Rotorua, lol):


Government Gardens at Rotorua:


Geyser at the Te Puia Thermal Reserve:


Mt Maunganui Beach:


Looking from Deck 15 on the ship towards Tauranga:


One of a number of Art Deco buildings in Napier:


Apparently one of two Art Deco styled McDonalds restaurants in the world (the other is in San Francisco):


One of the views from Te Mata Peak, looking towards Hawkes Bay and Napier (toward the left):


Waterfall in Napier's Centennial Gardens:


Sailing away from the Port of Napier, with Bluff Hill visible:


Will upload a couple of photos from Wellington and Akaroa / Arthurs Pass soon, then Dunedin and the Fiordlands afterwards.

Loving the photos seabreeze.
Keep 'em coming.

Homer

Thanks Homer.

Here's a small selection from Wellington (5/1/2012):

Women's Suffrage Centennial garden of camellias, with New Zealand's Parliament House in the background:


The Beehive, which is the Executive Wing of Parliament:


Wellington CBD, looking up Featherston Street:


In the CBD, there are electric buses (trolleybuses) that run on a network of overhead wires. I don't think I had ever seen a trolleybus before. This was taken on Lambton Quay (the name of the road)


Looking over central Wellington from Kelburn, after riding the cable car up the hillside:


Wellington Cable Car heading back down into the city:


Looking from Deck 12 on the ship toward Wellington CBD (and Kelburn on the hill behind), with Westpac Stadium to the near right:


Pencarrow Head Lighthouse(s) at the entrance to Wellington Harbour. I had to research this later on trusty Wikipedia: the higher lighthouse was decommissioned because it got obscured by fog/cloud. The lower one replaced it, and is still in use.


Sailing away from the North Island:


Cook Strait was kind, with fair weather as we crossed it and headed for Akaroa on the South Island:

The ship sailed into Akaroa Harbour and we were taken ashore by tender. The port facilities at Lyttelton remain damaged from the earthquakes. My shore tour did not go to Christchurch, as going to Akaroa added about two hours (Akaroa is about an 60-75mins from C'Church or Rolleston) onto the whole trip (originally 7hrs, but increased to 9hrs because of the extra distance from Akaroa). Had the ship gone to Lyttelton, we would've gone to Christchurch during the tour to Arthurs Pass. There were a few tours that went to Christchurch, but less than they would normally offer.

A few pictures from Akaroa, the Canterbury region and Arthurs Pass (6/1/2012):

Patches of morning low cloud as we wound our way through the hills of Banks Peninsula:


On the Canterbury Plains near Springfield, looking up into the mountains:


Waimakariri River valley (pronounced 'Why-mack-a-reary'):


At Arthurs Pass, just before we boarded the TranzAlpine train, I spotted a couple of Kea who were unusually well-behaved (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kea):


I thought this mountain looked a bit like a Christmas Pudding (taken from the open-air viewing carriage on the train):


Broken River, not far upstream from its confluence with the Waimakariri:


Railway bridge over the Broken River:


Waimakariri River:


After a short stop in Springfield for refreshments, the train thundered across the Canterbury Plains. I estimate the train was doing 110km/h across the plains, because we were slowly passing cars on the highway which had a 100km/h limit. The railway follows Route 73 (West Coast Rd) for much of the journey across the plains. We got off the train in Rolleston, and boarded the bus back to Akaroa. We were then informed that a Magnitude 5.0 tremor had occurred in Christchurch at 2:20pm.

Looking down into the upper half of Akaroa Harbour (Duvauchelle in the first bay to the left, and Akaroa in the first bay from the right), taken from the Hilltop Pub:


Akaroa (taken from Akaroa Wharf while waiting for tender):

Dunedin was probably my favourite stop. The city feels vibrant and young (lots of young adults about). The people were friendly and welcoming. It had that mix of country charm but with the benefits of a city.
The ship actually docks in Port Chalmers, about 15kms NE of the CBD. Smaller ships can navigate their way into the city but cruise liners can not.
A couple of pics from Dunedin (7/1/2012):

Larnach Castle:


Looking towards Dunedin from the hills of the Otago Peninsula:


Baldwin Street in Dunedin, the steepest street in the world:


The Octagon, which lies in the heart of the city:


Dunedin Town Hall (and St Pauls Cathedral on the left):


Regent Theatre in Dunedin CBD:


George Street, full of retail therapy:


Dunedin Railway Station:


I thought this was neat. A naughts and crosses garden outside of the railway station:


Sailing out of Otago Harbour, looking towards the hills of Otago Peninsula:

those birds are called keas they love to take your car apart lol

As per the wiki-link above, the term Kea is both singular and plural. Affectionately known as the 'cheeky Kea', the world's only alpine parrot is also sometimes referred to as 'the clown of the mountains', which may explain why a gathering or group of Kea is called a 'circus'.

I suspect the Kea probably came down from the hills above the village when they saw the train. I'm sure they are smart enough to know that train = humans, and humans give out free food and don't attack us. They were waiting at the bus shelter area where we pulled up, on our way to the train station (short walk, about 200 metres).

Here's the final lot of photos from the Fiordland National Park (8/1/2012):

Dusky Sound:


Doubtful Sound:


Sailing up the west coast to Milford Sound (note the snow on the mountain peaks despite reaching 25.7ºC at Milford Sound Airport that afternoon):


The scenery in Milford Sound is breathtaking and mighty (photos just can't do it justice):


Sheerdown Peak (1781m ASL). The airport lies directly beneath. Bowen Falls is on the centre left (the 'V' valley pretty much points to it):


Mt Pembroke (2000m ASL, the snowy one):


Stirling Falls:


Sailing out of Milford Sound. The Elephant (1518m ASL, on far top left), and The Lion (1302m ASL, centre):


The last two pictures are on the morning of the 11th in a place that may or may not be in New Zealand. I got up at 6am that morning, that's a miracle for a uni student.
Some random city as we sailed in the harbour:


Just a bridge feat. the Diamond Princess (up the harbour, centre bottom) :


Hope you enjoyed the photos.