Hawkes Bay climate

The NorthIsland’s central mountain ranges impact significantly on New Zealand ’s predominantly westerly weather pattern. On the eastern side of the mountain divide Hawke’s Bay experiences a relatively sheltered climate and a comparatively warm and pleasant Mediterranean climate is the result. Most of the Hawke’s Bay region experiences only moderately cold winters, followed by pleasantly warm to moderately hot summers. While the foothills close to the western mountain ranges together with much of Northern and Southern Hawke’s Bay usually experience above average, higher rainfall, most of Hawke’s Bay enjoys an annual average of about 800 mm. This is usually distributed between April (or mid to late autumn), though to the beginning of January (or early summer). Mild, but in exeptional years, more accute drought conditions are oftern experienced between mid summer through to mid or late autumn.

From Southern through to Northern Hawke’s Bay, the closely linked Ruahine and Kaweka ranges fall away to the rolling hill country and fertile plains that combine to form most of Hawkes Bay. The mountains and hills are drained by a myriad of streams and rivers that merge to form the Mohaka, the Tutaekuri, the Ngaruroro and the Tuki Tuki Rivers, providing water to the region’s industry and population as well as some of New Zealand’s very best trout fishing. These rivers contribute to an underground acquafer carrying large volumes of pristine filtered water only metres below some of the best horticultural land on the plains of Hawke’s Bay.

Hawke’s Bay can therefore claim an ideal combination of strong soils for pastoral farming, fertile plains laid down by the network of rivers for horticultural crops, and light free draining soils for the grape growing industry. Add rainfall when required, rivers for irrigation and stockwater, and warmth and sunlight hours when needed, the result is an environment supporting a great lifestyle, and highly productive and efficient land based industries.

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