<P> Mean annual temperatures range from 10 ° C (50 ° F) in the south to 16 ° C (61 ° F) in the north . The coldest month is usually July and the warmest month is usually January or February . Generally there are relatively small variations between summer and winter temperatures . An example of this is Auckland which has a variation of just 9 ° C or 16 ° F between the average mid-winter high temperature (14.7 ° C or 58.5 ° F) and average mid-summer high temperature (23.7 ° C or 74.7 ° F). Temperature variation throughout the day is also relatively small . The exception to this is inland areas and to the east of the ranges with daily variations that can be over 25 ° C and differences of up to 14 ° C between the average summer and winter high temperatures . Temperatures also drop about 0.7 ° C or 1.3 ° F for every 100 m of altitude . </P> <P> Northern cities such as Auckland, Whangarei, and Tauranga experience mean yearly maxima of between 19--20 ° C (66--68 ° F) and mean yearly minima of around 11--12 ° C (52--54 ° F). Eastern cities on the North Island such as Gisborne, Napier, and Hastings also have mean yearly maxima of between 19--20 ° C (66--68 ° F) but have slightly lower yearly mean minima of around 9--10 ° C (48--50 ° F). The two largest cities on the South Island, Christchurch and Dunedin, have mean yearly maxima of 17.3 ° C (63.1 ° F) and 14.6 ° C (58.3 ° F) and yearly mean minima of 7.3 ° C (45.1 ° F) and 7.6 ° C (45.7 ° F) respectively . </P> <P> Daily maximum temperatures are normally in the mid to low 20s (° C) over most of the country . They are higher in northern, eastern and interior part of the country; Hastings is the warmest city on average with 25.5 ° C followed by Gisborne with 24.9 ° C and Napier with 24.5 ° C. Eastern parts of the South Island are highly susceptible to the norwester, a Fohn wind which can result in temperatures going into the high 30s and even the low 40s . Rangiora in Canterbury holds the record maximum of 42.4 ° C recorded in 1973, with Christchurch recording 41.6 ° C in that same year . More recently, Timaru reached 41.3 ° C on Waitangi Day in 2011 . Due to these winds, the cooler southern cities of Dunedin and Invercargill have higher all - time record temperatures than places further north such as Wellington, Auckland and Whangarei . </P> <P> Winter temperatures are much milder in New Zealand compared to other areas of similar latitude, with the exception of the Central Otago and Mackenzie Basin regions mentioned above . Maxima are generally 10--15 ° C (50--59 ° F) in the North Island, decreasing as one goes further south or inland . The South Island is a bit cooler, with maximum temperatures around 7--12 ° C (45--54 ° F), though sometimes lower . Eastern areas are generally cooler than the west . The lowest temperature ever recorded was − 25.6 ° C (− 14.1 ° F) at Ranfurly in Otago in 1903, with a more recent temperature of − 21.6 ° C (− 6.9 ° F) recorded in 1995 in nearby Ophir . </P>

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