Погода: Raglan, февраль

Regulars call this usually the most settled, warmest month of the year here, with evenings staying light and pleasantly warm until around 7pm, though they're honest a hiccup of rain is always possible even in a good stretch. Our row backs the warm, still-quite-wet read, 24.6C over 16.5C nights, with 92.1mm of rain across 9 days. Regulars are specific that overnight humidity runs noticeably muggier in February than it does by March, when it drops off meaningfully - useful context for anyone comparing the two months for a visit. The sea is genuinely swimmable at 21.8C, one of the better months for it. The record: humidity 76 percent, 10.9 hours of sun, a 21.7 kph wind and AQI 27.

Raglan-forum threads on January call it the easy month for a first surf trip: New Zealand's summer brings warm air and warm-enough water that some sessions work in just boardshorts, a change from the wetsuit-year-round reputation the country's south gets. Swells run smaller than the bigger winter groundswells the point break is famous for among experienced surfers, but posters say that's exactly what makes January approachable for someone still building skills - consistent, rideable, less intimidating. The one thing regulars warn newcomers about is the sun itself: New Zealand's UV is unusually strong for the latitude, and more than one thread recommends a rash guard for sun protection rather than warmth. The record: 22C days, 15.8C nights, 98mm across nearly 12 days, a 20.6C sea, 78 percent humidity, wind averaging nearly 25 km/h and over 14 hours of daylight - genuinely long summer days, with rain still a regular feature.