The Chatham Islands have an
oceanic climate, with little temperature difference between winter and summer and between night and day. Rain and wind are frequent throughout the year, but especially in the cold period, from May to September, when the sky is often cloudy. Summer, from December to February, is mild, with some cool days, and the wind that increases the feeling of coolness.
The Chatham Islands (Wharekauri in maori) are a small archipelago located 850 kilometers (530 miles) east of the South Island of New Zealand, at 44 degrees south latitude, and made up of two main islands, Chatham and Pitt, plus some islets, including the group called Forty-Fours. Within the islands are hills, 900 feet (286 meters) on Chatham and 800 feet (241 meters) on Pitt. On Chatham Island, there are also several lakes.
In winter, there can be cold days, with lows around freezing and highs around 7/8 °C (45/46 °F). Occasionally, there may also be a snowfall, though almost always with temperatures above freezing and no accumulation.
In summer, it never gets hot, in fact the temperature reaches a maximum of 23/24 °C (73/75 °F) on the warmest days.
Here are the average
temperatures in the main settlement,
Waitangi, located in Chatham Island.
Waitangi - Average temperatures (1981-2010) | Month | Min (°C) | Max (°C) | Mean (°C) | Min (°F) | Max (°F) | Mean (°F) |
|---|
| January | 11.9 | 17.9 | 14.9 | 53 | 64 | 58.8 |
|---|
| February | 12.3 | 18.2 | 15.2 | 54 | 65 | 59.4 |
|---|
| March | 11.5 | 17.1 | 14.3 | 53 | 63 | 57.7 |
|---|
| April | 9.9 | 14.9 | 12.4 | 50 | 59 | 54.3 |
|---|
| May | 8.1 | 13 | 10.6 | 47 | 55 | 51 |
|---|
| June | 6.8 | 11.3 | 9 | 44 | 52 | 48.3 |
|---|
| July | 5.9 | 10.5 | 8.2 | 43 | 51 | 46.8 |
|---|
| August | 6.2 | 11 | 8.6 | 43 | 52 | 47.5 |
|---|
| September | 6.9 | 11.9 | 9.4 | 44 | 53 | 48.9 |
|---|
| October | 8 | 13.1 | 10.6 | 46 | 56 | 51 |
|---|
| November | 9.1 | 14.4 | 11.8 | 48 | 58 | 53.2 |
|---|
| December | 10.7 | 16.4 | 13.6 | 51 | 62 | 56.4 |
|---|
| Year | 8.9 | 14.1 | 11.5 | 48.1 | 57.4 | 52.5 |
|---|
On average, 910 mm (36 in) of
rain fall per year. The rains are well distributed throughout the year, even though, as mentioned, they are more frequent in the winter. Here is the average rainfall.
Waitangi - Average precipitation| Month | Millimeters | Inches | Days |
|---|
| January | 55 | 2.2 | 8 |
|---|
| February | 65 | 2.6 | 8 |
|---|
| March | 85 | 3.3 | 11 |
|---|
| April | 75 | 3 | 11 |
|---|
| May | 90 | 3.5 | 14 |
|---|
| June | 110 | 4.3 | 16 |
|---|
| July | 85 | 3.3 | 15 |
|---|
| August | 85 | 3.3 | 14 |
|---|
| September | 70 | 2.8 | 12 |
|---|
| October | 65 | 2.6 | 11 |
|---|
| November | 65 | 2.6 | 10 |
|---|
| December | 65 | 2.6 | 9 |
|---|
| Year | 910 | 35.8 | 140 |
|---|
The amount of
sunshine is not good, in fact there are less than 1,500 hours of sunshine per year. Here are the average sunshine hours per day.
Waitangi - Sunshine hours| Month | Average | Total |
|---|
January | 6 | 190 | February | 5 | 145 | March | 4 | 125 | April | 3.5 | 105 | May | 2.5 | 80 | June | 2 | 60 | July | 2.5 | 75 | August | 3.5 | 100 | September | 3.5 | 110 | October | 4 | 130 | November | 5 | 150 | December | 5.5 | 165 | Year | 3.9 | 1440 |
For swimming, the
sea is cold all year round.
Waitangi - Sea temperature| Month | Celsius (°C) | Fahrenheit (°F) |
|---|
January | 16 | 61 | February | 16.5 | 62 | March | 16.5 | 61 | April | 15.5 | 60 | May | 14 | 57 | June | 12.5 | 55 | July | 12 | 53 | August | 11.5 | 53 | September | 11.5 | 53 | October | 12 | 53 | November | 13 | 55 | December | 14.5 | 58 | Year | 13.7 | 56.7 |
Best Time
The best time to visit the Chatham Islands is the summer, from December to February, as it is the mildest and sunniest time of the year.