Hotter than average temperatures are forecast for Tauranga this week.
The MetService expects a great deal of sunshine and dry weather for most of the week.
Winds will be light with sea breezes around the coast.
Temperatures were forecast to build this week, with a high of 24 degrees being forecast for today and 29 degrees expected on Saturday and Sunday.
That being said, a few fronts would occasionally move northeastwards across the South Island, associated with rain at times for the southern and western coasts, but nothing was looking impactful at this stage, MetService meteorologist Alanna Burrows said.
“For those who have had some very wet days in the northeast, such as Gisborne, the warmer and drier conditions forecast for this week will come as a bit of relief for recovery efforts, as well as for those wanting to spend some time at the beach.”
This satellite image was captured at 11:30 am and shows lots of clear skies around the country
— MetService NZ (@MetService) January 4, 2026
However, there is a bit of cloud around for areas like Christchurch, Canterbury and Westland. These regions are forecast some fine spells through the afternoon as temperatures… pic.twitter.com/H7GNZ8fH9Q
Warmer than average temperatures are expected for Thursday and Friday for some eastern regions as a westerly flow establishes across the country (more information in the table attached).
“It’s going to get hot for Blenheim on Friday with a forecast maximum temperature of 32°C, that’s 7.5°C above average,” Burrows advised.
MetService issues Heat Alerts to warn people in New Zealand of unusually hot weather.
Extreme heat during summer can be draining and have an impact on people’s daily lives, especially their health and wellbeing.
If a heat alert is triggered, it’s recommended to take precautions such as keeping hydrated, seeking shade, checking in with vulnerable people/children and looking after your pets and livestock.
Above average temperatures are being forecast for Tauranga later this week. Image / MetService
1 comment
The Master
Posted on 07-01-2026 13:31 | By Ian Stevenson
Looks and certainly feels like a "normal summer so far, if anything a little cooler than past years.
But that is to be expected as the planet has recently (@ about 10,000-13,000-BC) just come out of a real ice-age, also having just come out of the Little Ice Age: 1300-1870AD), those times were not so good for Life on Earth. It has obviously got a lot warmer since which is indeed 1,000% good for all, just as well really.
The levelling off of temperatures is happening, soon the Earth will wander back to another Ice-age, that is inevitable... hopefully that is a while away as "colder" is vastly worse than "warmer" any day of he week.
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