Auckland or Christchurch?

[wembley]

Which has the better climate overall, Auckland or Christchurch. IMO it's the Garden City due to less rain and fewer rain days and warmer summer temps when the norwester blows.

[Razor]

I don't think that question is able to be fully answered. It depends on what each individual is comfortable with. I've lived in both places (AK 12 years, ChCh 14 years) and freely admit I am biased towards ChCh.

But, you you want long hot muggy summers, albeit wet at times, then Auckland is your place. The ChCh easterly is a major summer detractor, for which the NW fails to fully compensate for. But nothing beats a blazing 30 degree Canterbury day to me. And of course less rain in the south is a major plus.

Aucklands winters are IMHO less comfortable than ChCh though- extra moisture up there just makes the weather seem more miserable, even though its colder in the south its generally sunnier in winter than up north.

And if its 'action weather' you want, Auckland is more volatile and thus can be more 'exciting' storm wise, but then again Canterbury storms are occasionally the most violent I have seen anywhere (noting the other 14 years of my life I grew up in Wellington, where I truly found my weather passion as a kid

So my vote is ChCh, but others will have different parameters.

[David]

Aucklands winters are IMHO less comfortable than ChCh though- extra moisture up there just makes the weather seem more miserable, even though its colder in the south its generally sunnier in winter than up north.

NIWA figures show that winter sunshine in Auckland is 381 hours, Christchurch 398 hours, so not really much difference. Also, July averages 128 hours in Akl and 127 hours in Chch.
https://www.niwa.co.nz/education-and-tr ... e/sunshine

[Razor]

Aucklands winters are IMHO less comfortable than ChCh though- extra moisture up there just makes the weather seem more miserable, even though its colder in the south its generally sunnier in winter than up north.

NIWA figures show that winter sunshine in Auckland is 381 hours, Christchurch 398 hours, so not really much difference. Also, July averages 128 hours in Akl and 127 hours in Chch.
https://www.niwa.co.nz/education-and-tr ... e/sunshine

Fair call,let me refine that...its the rainfall up morth in winter that outstrips the south, I just note that I would take a cloudy or clear and dry day in ChCh over a showery westerly quarter day in Auckland, any day of the week!

[spwill]

I prefer the warmer sub tropical feel of Auckland even on a wet day. grew up in the south, happy to be out of the Winters .

For me if I was looking for a better climate I would be heading to Australia rather than else where in NZ

[Dean.]

I would take the warmer north,higher dewpoints,balmier nights.Even in summer down here we only get the odd warm night to enjoy.

[shovelopikis]

i remember arriving back from europe just in april to auckland
it was pushing 30C on most days towards the end of our trip in france and as soon as we landed in auckland i was overwhelmed by the heat and could not sit anywhere near the sun and had to stay in air conditioned areas until our next flight down south to home

...that night on the news aucklands high was 20C
its the humidity that gets you...30C is nice and fine in mid france or canterbury...but auckland, na dont like it one bit.

[melja]

You dont have to go far inland in summer to get balmier nights, its just the crappy NEer that keeps it cool.

[Dean.]

We mostly dodge the NEer here in Ashburton being over 20k inland.

[Richard]

I think CHCH has a horrible climate to compared to areas further inland,Deano says Ashburton as one ,i reckon Waipara also because less cold sea breezes but also tends to get less of the coastal haze which i find claustrophobic,this is one down side i find about Auckland,i like the crystal clear skies myself

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Auckland doesn't get the frosts that ChCh gets.
I like the cold and frosty weather.
Even though Auckland is very thunder prone, I prefer the Canterbury thunderstorms, they can be more dramatic, especially the ones that develop on the plains, rather than off the sea.
The NE can be a hindrance at times in the summer months but then we don't get the rain or La Nina influenced weather systems that Auckland experiences now and then.

[Manukau heads obs]

all the flooding rain episode weather systems CHCH has had lately was most likely La Nina influenced

[RWood]

We mostly dodge the NEer here in Ashburton being over 20k inland.

Despite that there's no objective data to show that Ashburton or any other Plains locations are any sunnier than Ch'ch. I still recall the odd summer day when driving back from the hinterland via Burkes Pass, one ended up under a blanket of cloud covering the entire region - and I could still feel a bit of a chilling breeze even as far inland as Fairlie. Admittedly such situations didn't involve the shorter-range sea breeze ENE-er.

[Dean.]

We mostly dodge the NEer here in Ashburton being over 20k inland.

Despite that there's no objective data to show that Ashburton or any other Plains locations are any sunnier than Ch'ch. I still recall the odd summer day when driving back from the hinterland via Burkes Pass, one ended up under a blanket of cloud covering the entire region - and I could still feel a bit of a chilling breeze even as far inland as Fairlie. Admittedly such situations didn't involve the shorter-range sea breeze ENE-er.

Agree,just those warm summer days when the NEer kicks in over eastern ChCh.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

all the flooding rain episode weather systems CHCH has had lately was most likely La Nina influenced

Yes, true there Brian,

[shovelopikis]

I think CHCH has a horrible climate to compared to areas further inland,Deano says Ashburton as one ,i reckon Waipara also because less cold sea breezes but also tends to get less of the coastal haze which i find claustrophobic,this is one down side i find about Auckland,i like the crystal clear skies myself

that haze is annoying!
why/when/where is it caused? i grew up in crisp and clear New Plymouth and never experienced coastal haze until i moved down south to canterbury.

[tgsnoopy]

all the flooding rain episode weather systems CHCH has had lately was most likely La Nina influenced

I'm not convinced. I'm afraid that the height above MSL of those areas may be less post the earthquakes for a number of reasons. But then I might be paranoid come conspiracy theorist type thinking.

Whatever the cause, it's not nice being flooded, I have first hand experience, albeit not as badly as them.

[melja]

Um i think 3 months of close to 200mm a month might be to blame and the fact we had our annual rainfall in 6 month- that might make it flood

[Razor]

Yes the wettest recorded March in ChCh records, followed by the wettest recorded April. EQ or not, that would have flooded us any time

[tgsnoopy]

Ok, hope you guys are right. Either way, the poor people affected, it's not good.

[03Stormchaser]

Having only lived in CHC for my 28 years I don't enjoy the climate here but there is more too a city than just that. Auckland's climate I think overall outweighs CHC but I could never see myself living in Auckland.

[Michael]

Aucklands SWer is so annoying particularly over the warmer months.Hear a lot about the ENE in chch but only visited there really over the winter months and is colder,either it rains/drizzle or a completely cloudless day and in winter hardly any windy days apart from the southerly.

[NZ Thunderstorm Soc]

Having only lived in CHC for my 28 years I don't enjoy the climate here but there is more too a city than just that. Auckland's climate I think overall outweighs CHC but I could never see myself living in Auckland.

I agree.
People have asked me why don't you move to Auckland or the west coast as they get more thunderstorms than Christchurch. I'd wouldn't move to Auckland as there far too many people up there, mind you, sadly, the Selwyn district is becoming a fast growing area, especially now there is plans for another big sub-division for West Melton
It's more than the weather to move and as I have lived in Canterbury for most of my life, I prefer to be here rather than anywhere else in NZ.

[Michael]

Even taken in the context of "lousy weather" chch fares better,they can get snow several times per year,thunderstorms as a surprise due to abrupt wind changes after a dry wind often NE direction,Auckland gets more lousy days but few produce anything more than just gales and rain.

[NZstorm]

I have lived in both North and South Island and I have never minded the climate of both. We do get longer summers in the north though and obviously less cold weather due to latitude.