Annual Rainfall Averages for New Zealand
The tables below give yearly averages for rainfall at cities, towns, beaches and islands throughout New Zealand.
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 1991 to 2020.
North Island
| Days | Place | Inches | Millimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 132 | Auckland | 44.1 | 1119 |
| 123 | Cape Reinga | 42.0 | 1067 |
| 107 | Gisborne | 39.4 | 1000 |
| 134 | Great Barrier Island | 65.8 | 1672 |
| 123 | Hamilton | 44.3 | 1124 |
| 123 | Kaikohe | 63.6 | 1614 |
| 132 | Kaitaia | 52.0 | 1320 |
| 140 | Kerikeri | 71.8 | 1824 |
| 116 | Masterton | 35.0 | 889 |
| 87 | Napier | 31.1 | 790 |
| 142 | New Plymouth | 55.5 | 1410 |
| 121 | Palmerston North | 38.7 | 984 |
| 122 | Rotorua | 53.4 | 1356 |
| 109 | Taupo | 37.3 | 948 |
| 110 | Tauranga | 47.3 | 1202 |
| 117 | Thames | 45.6 | 1159 |
| 133 | Waiheke Island | 49.5 | 1258 |
| 124 | Wellington | 51.9 | 1319 |
| 174 | Whakapapa Village, Tongariro | 110.6 | 2810 |
| 123 | Whangaparaoa | 39.4 | 1000 |
| 131 | Whangarei | 50.7 | 1289 |
| 143 | Whitianga | 69.9 | 1775 |
| 114 | Whanganui | 36.1 | 916 |
South Island
| Days | Place | Inches | Millimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | Akaroa | 38.5 | 979 |
| 172 | Arthur's Pass | 183.5 | 4660 |
| 75 | Blenheim | 25.1 | 639 |
| 85 | Christchurch | 24.1 | 612 |
| 105 | Dunedin | 28.5 | 724 |
| 118 | Farewell Spit | 47.9 | 1216 |
| 169 | Franz Josef | 218.7 | 5555 |
| 171 | Greymouth | 96.2 | 2443 |
| 152 | Invercargill | 40.8 | 1035 |
| 83 | Kaikoura | 28.2 | 715 |
| 146 | Lake Rotoiti | 62.7 | 1592 |
| 76 | Lake Tekapo | 21.1 | 535 |
| 127 | Manapouri | 44.3 | 1126 |
| 189 | Milford Sound | 257.7 | 6545 |
| 158 | Mt Cook | 162.7 | 4132 |
| 93 | Nelson | 38.4 | 976 |
| 99 | Queenstown | 35.8 | 909 |
| 223 | Secretary Island | 152.7 | 3879 |
| 77 | Timaru | 21.4 | 543 |
| 174 | Westport | 81.6 | 2074 |
Other Islands
| Days | Place | Inches | Millimetres |
|---|---|---|---|
| 202 | Auckland Islands | 43.1 | 1096 |
| 245 | Campbell Island | 55.2 | 1402 |
| 142 | Chatham Island | 33.0 | 837 |
| 133 | Raoul Island | 56.8 | 1444 |
| 200 | Stewart Island, Oban | 61.6 | 1565 |
Reference
NIWA (New Zealand National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research). The National Climate Database.