Moosette

Hi there,

This time I'm asking a question on behalf of my teenaged sister, aimed at those of you living on the North Island:

What is the weather like in the winter (end June/early July)? Does it feel much different from the average UK winter? Does it rain much?

She needs to know because she is a really jammy so-and-so who has landed herself a heavily subsidised trip to NZ. She's a keen netballer and extremely smart to boot and she's been selected to go over to NZ to carry out an investigation into the culture of netball in NZ education. I've only really spent time on the South Island and I don't trust my boyfriend's assessment of "comfortable" temperatures. If she was going to Chch I'd tell her to pack her thickest winter jumpers and coats, but I have no idea how different (or not) the weather will be in Auckland, Hamilton and Rotorua so I'm not sure how to advise her.

Any suggestions?

smudge1

Hi. I would pack plenty of warm jumpers and a good raincoat or two. Lots of rain in the winter here in Auckland. Temperatures not too bad (rarely below 8 or 9 deg.) during the day but gets verrry cold and damp at night. There is a big netball centre here on Northcote Road on the North Shore that your sister may find helpful in her research. Every Saturday when I drive by there are loads of matches being played.

Ash1

Hi there,


Firstly, netball is massive over here so she`s definitely in the right country for that.
Winter will differ depending on which part of the country she is in. Generally speaking its warmer in the North and windier on the West coast. Having lived in the South East of England and being a builder , I`m well aware of what winters can be like, so can confirm that the winters here (in the Bay of Plenty) are nothing like England. Definitely milder and nothing like as grey. Having said that its sometimes warmer outside than it is inside !!!!!!
Do you know yet where she is going to be based?
Ash

Moosette

Many thanks for the replies - they are both very helpful. I'll tell her that she can expect slightly milder daytime temperatures, but should be prepared for plenty of rain and for the likelihood that it could get very chilly at night.

smudge1 - thanks for the tip about Northcote Rd. I will definitely pass that on. She's really excited about seeing a country where netball is taken seriously. She couldn't believe it when I came back from NZ saying that I'd seen as many netball courts and hoops in the public parks as basketball rings!

Ash1 - I think most of the netball stuff will take place in Auckland and Hamilton, but she will also be visiting a school in Rotorua (and presumably doing some touristy stuff whilst she is there). I can definitely appreciate your comment about it sometimes feeling colder inside NZ houses than outside - I was on the South Island during the NZ spring and even the really nice houses were freezing. My sister's grant covers accommodation in hotels/hostels so hopefully cold houses shouldn't affect her too much!

Tomsk

I've only done one winter in Rotorua so far, so can't be considered an expert by any means, but it does get pretty parky here in the mornings I can tell you. We actually get frost...and we even had a smattering of snow last June although the locals seemed more amazed by that than I was. Apparently it never snows here . Day time temperatures aren't too bad overall, but boy can it rain! I'd suggest lots of layers to be honest, so that she can wrap up warm in the morning and gradually peel off as the day warms up.
Any idea which school she's going to in Rotorua.....there isn't exactly a shortage of them here of course, but I've got 2 children at different high schools here.
If she wants any info about Rotorua just message me .
I hope she has a wonderful trip, lucky thing.

Bo-Jangles

This is the place http://www.netballnorthharbour.co.nz/ very nice facility

Keyser Soze

To add to the question, can anyone tell me what the winters are like in the southlands, around invercargill?

smudge1

Lets put it this way.....don't go taking any brass monkeys there...

Moosette

Tomsk - thank you for the info on Rotorua. Unfortunately, I don't know which school she'll be visiting there. I'm not even sure if she knows yet either. I hope she has a great time too. She bloody well deserves it because she's awesome!

Bo-Jangles - thanks for the link. Looks pretty impressive.

sparkie down under

depends on where you are

Keyser Soze

Right I will remember to leave the monkeys at home, thank you