Rotorua weather by month & the best time to visit
New Zealand · small town · oceanic / maritime climate
The best time to visit Rotorua is January — its sunniest month (Sunshine Score 78/100), with February and March close behind. Rotorua averages about 2,193 hours of sunshine a year. Daytime highs around 23°C / 73°F and roughly 72 mm of rain in January.
When is the best time to visit Rotorua?
For sunshine, the best time to visit Rotorua is January, then February and March. The dullest month is July (18/100, 113 mm of rain). The full month-by-month picture is in the table below.
How sunny is Rotorua?
Rotorua gets a moderate 2,193 hours of sunshine a year. 60 Sunshine Score points separate January (78) from July (18), so the month you pick matters. It ranks #21 of 26 destinations in New Zealand for annual sunshine, below the national median of 2,342 hours. The year's 1,072 mm of rain spreads fairly evenly across the months, with no pronounced dry season.
Sunshine Score by month
| Month | Score | Day high | Night low | Rain | UV |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 78 | 23° / 73°F | 14° / 57°F | 72 mm | 10 |
| February | 78 | 23° / 73°F | 14° / 57°F | 73 mm | 8 |
| March | 77 | 21° / 70°F | 13° / 55°F | 80 mm | 6 |
| April | 60 | 18° / 64°F | 11° / 52°F | 104 mm | 4 |
| May | 42 | 15° / 59°F | 9° / 48°F | 103 mm | 2 |
| June | 24 | 12° / 54°F | 7° / 45°F | 113 mm | 1 |
| July | 18 | 11° / 52°F | 6° / 43°F | 113 mm | 1 |
| August | 25 | 12° / 54°F | 6° / 43°F | 98 mm | 2 |
| September | 38 | 14° / 57°F | 7° / 45°F | 82 mm | 4 |
| October | 51 | 16° / 61°F | 8° / 46°F | 81 mm | 5 |
| November | 68 | 18° / 64°F | 10° / 50°F | 57 mm | 7 |
| December | 74 | 21° / 70°F | 13° / 55°F | 96 mm | 9 |
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Rotorua: questions and answers
What kind of destination is Rotorua?
Rotorua is a small town in New Zealand with a oceanic / maritime climate.
How many hours of sunshine does Rotorua get a year?
Rotorua gets about 2,193 hours of sunshine a year, at its best around January.
When is the best time to visit Rotorua?
The sunniest time to visit Rotorua is January, when the Sunshine Score peaks at 78/100 (with February and March close behind). Expect daytime highs around 23°C / 73°F.
What is the least sunny month in Rotorua?
July is the least sunny month in Rotorua, scoring 18/100 with about 113 mm of rain.
How strong is the sun in Rotorua?
The typical midday UV index in Rotorua peaks around 10 (very high) in January, easing to about 1 (low) in June. Month-by-month midday UV values are in the UV column of the table on this page.
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