Weather in Dunedin

[nickydwuk]

We are seriously considering Dunedin as our future home. However OH has concerns about the weather. We know that it is colder than the north island but how much colder? How long does the winter last? What is the summer like? OH loves his garden and we are hoping to get a property with a reasonable sized section so he can 'lose' himself but he has said there is no point if the weather is too cold to do anything in - even in the summer. Is there much sun during the summer? Do you often get stuck indoors because of the snow during winter?

I think he has almost convinced himself to go but is trying to put obstacles in the way so he does not have to make the final decision!!!

[MotherBear]

You can follow the weather for Dunedin on here. That area is likened to Scotland and there are many Scottish people settled around there so perhaps the weather is as similar as the scenery . Only joking! South Island in general is quite a bit cooler in winter than North Island, but I think there is more sunshine than in a UK winter. I wouldn't think winters in SI would be any worse than those in the UK, but perhaps Macfod or anyone else with such insight could affirm or deny this.

On here you can select dates and look back at weather history under History and Almanac.

[KiwiHopeful]

Something else you might try:

I use iGoogle, which is a customized version of Google. I has different little boxes into which you can put RSS feeds and other tools, including a weather box that will show temperatures worldwide. I use that to keep up with the weather in Chch.

[selchie]

When we traveled through the South Island, we saw many lovely gardens, including botanical gardens and those in the domains (parks). Invercargill, which is a bit further south than Dunedin, has a wonderful array of rhododendrons, so I doubt it's that bad. I thought that the area's climate was rather like the Pacific Northwest of the US/Canada, which is mild because of marine influences. That's not to say it doesn't get cold in winter, even getting snow, but I think you'll be able to happily garden there.

[macfod]

Greetings
Well, we have been very pleased with the weather since Feb this year.
T shirt weather until end of May and yes snow ( a few inches the last two weeks). which is the worst for 12 years.
Glorious winter days with clear blue skies and little wind and a real treat to marvel the fews and walks..Dunedin can be wet and glum but so far its thumbs up as the locals complain more than Brits about poor weather...
I reckon its better with no dampness like the Uk and Winters good..so far..
Lots of land round property,,
So, come and check it out..we still love it..great sunsets and all..

[macfod]

Oh , didnt say that the flowers are still out and my gardens has hoses round the plants to water them in the hot summer then!!

We reckon the weather is fine and gardening a must....I might find myself somewhere in the summer...staff obliging of course...
Amazing you cannot buy de=icer anywhere and you get a funny look when you ask about for it..so no real frosts .

I park my car and most morning go near a flat calm harbour ..yum

[macfod]

useful! maybe and changes quick.

[hatter5]

Hey Nicky,

Spoke to my colleague today, who's son has lived in Dunedin for over a year. He visited him over new year and while most of us got a battering weather wise it was scorching down south.

Beautiful scenery and if you find a location near the city there is plenty to do within the area. Looking at Dunedin's weather tomorrow - min temp -3C and in Wellington +8C.

We experienced "the worst winter - ever" in NZ and from a UK perspective was autumnal with temperatures averaging around 8-10C. Doesn't sound too bad but we were freezing inside.

Our rental was built in the early 90's and built to the regulations at the time and had some insulation. We had a convection heater in the lounge and kept the room warm but the rest of the house was very cold and musty. Major problems with condensation and none of us seemed able to clear our coughs and colds until the spring.

We discussed with our landlord the dampness problem and he was persuaded to by a dehumidifier. This helped a great deal but the electricity bill did increase a bit but worth it as the condensation was almost eliminated.

Now we had moved into a new house and had a house warming party. Our friends from Palmy stayed over and the discussion around the table after lunch were "how warm the place still was even though the heating not running". They own a nice 60's house and have insulated the loft and had cavity wall insulation as well as a heat pump installed in the lounge.

His opinion was that the $10,000 spent made little difference to rest of the house. I disagree for the most as it is a lot warmer than it was but still didn't compete with a new build.

When they got back home to their cold house a mail advising of their next visit was sent.

My Point?

8C in a UK built house would be absolutely fine but given that we live (in NZ) in well spec'd wooden houses makes it feel so much colder unless it is well insulated. This is a better way to consider how cold it actually is rather than a weather report.

I suspect that the housing in SI is no worse than in NI but personally I do not like being cold (in a milder climate) and the chopping, storing and the mess of a log burner is not the best way to keep all of your home warm.

Again my personal point of view and I love the idea of the ambiance of a flame warmed lounge in the evening. However getting up in the morning, freezing cold, to light it again is not so ideal.

I can't really remember the exact quote but Billy Connolly's take on the early Scottish migrants who upon arriving in Northland then cry "follow me, I know somewhere even colder - head for the dark rain clouds"

Actually this could be complete bull? maybe he was referring to the Irish moving to Scotland.

Where did I last see my copy of the Big Yin's World Tour of NZ dvd's

[Dawn]

Hatter5 that would be a lot of unrepeatables about the misinterpretation about symbolic Maori greeting actions on the North Island and then,
'Onwards men, we'll no stay here with those sinners, onward. Ah! Dunedin, grey skies and f*&"!*?! horizontal rain, this'll do nicely.'

Saw him live once and was just praying for the performance to end because I was in too much pain from laughing!

[nickydwuk]

Originally Posted by hatter5

Where did I last see my copy of the Big Yin's World Tour of NZ dvd's

We watched our copy a few weeks ago and laughed all over again. We also watched the live version of the same tour a few days ago but in New York - some of the jokes were the same but still fantastic. OH was in hysterics