New Zealand’s Climate can be summed up simply as the wet west and dry east. Here is an overview of the climate and vegetation cover of these islands.
Before moving to New Zealand 4 years ago a Kiwi friend of mine sat down and told me a bit about the country. I remember two main things from that conversation. First, all Kiwis want the 3 B’s – a bach, boat, and barbecue. The second one, which has had a bigger impact on my life, is that if you want to know about the west coast, remove the ‘s’. What? Well, remove the ‘s’ from the word west and you get wet.
New Zealand’s Climate Overview
The two main islands of New Zealand have mountains that run along the central part of the country. The mountains in the north island are more spread out (volcanoes) and their effect isn’t as big as the mountains of the south island. The mountains of the south island form a long north – south chain (the southern alps).
New Zealand lies in the roaring 40’s of latitude, which has prevailing westerly winds. The mountains, especially the southern alps, create a barrier for the westerly winds. The moisture laden air comes to the west coast of New Zealand. As it rises to go over the mountains the water falls out as rain. Then once the air is over the top the eastern side is dry as most of the water has already fallen out on the west side.
The west coast of the south island is the wettest part of the country and the driest part of the country is just 100 km to the east of there!
The Wet West Coast
I have to say that as I write this right now it’s raining outside and is cold. I live in the Taranaki area on the wet west coast of the north island. I have plenty of opportunity to see the wet west coast first hand. It rains a lot, especially during winter!
The west coast of the country receives more rainfall than the east coast. On average here is how much rainfall the following west coast spots receive: Hamilton 1,190mm, New Plymouth 1,432mm, Westport 2,274mm, and Milford Sound 6,749mm!
Accordingly, the vegetation is more adapted for moist, wet conditions. The west coast of the south island is home to some great podocarp/broadleaf forests, including some patches of Kahikatea.
The Dry East
The eastern side of the country tends to be drier, especially so on the south island.
On average, here is how much rainfall some east coast locations receive: Gisborne 1,051mm, Napier 803mm, Blenheim 655mm, and Alexandra 360mm.
The vegetation of these drier areas is suited for plants that don’t require as much rainfall. There is lots of grassland (both native and introduced), scrubland, and some forest.