December is one of the warmer months of the year in Tauranga, with average highs near 20.4°C and lows around 15.6°C (mean 18°C). It is about average for rainfall, averaging 102 mm of rainfall and 77% relative humidity across the period.
December is one of the warmer months of the year in Tauranga. Across 45 years of records, the warmest December in Tauranga was 2021 — when the month averaged 20.1°C — while the coldest was 2004 at 15.5°C. Typical December days reach 20.4°C with nights near 15.6°C. The long-term trend is warming, about 0.2°C per decade.
December is about average for rainfall in Tauranga, averaging 102 mm of rainfall. The wettest December on record was 1996 with 267 mm, while the driest was 2015 at 18 mm.
Relative humidity in Tauranga during December averages 77%. The most humid December was 2001 at 83%, and the least humid were 1982 and 2020 at 73%.
December receives about 6.7 kWh/m²/day of solar energy in Tauranga. The sunniest December was 2020 at 7.6 kWh/m²/day, and the cloudiest were 2001 and 2011 at 5.8.
Average wind speed in Tauranga during December is 4.5 m/s. The windiest December was 2004 at 6.1 m/s, while the calmest were 1981, 1984 and 2017 at 3.8 m/s.
Ranked against the other 11 months using 1981–2025 averages.
| Metric | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg Temp | 18.0°C | 17.6°C | 17.7°C | 18.2°C | 19.1°C | +1.1°C |
| Avg High | 20.4°C | 20.2°C | 20.1°C | 20.5°C | 21.5°C | +1.1°C |
| Avg Low | 15.5°C | 15.0°C | 15.3°C | 15.9°C | 16.7°C | +1.2°C |
| Avg Rain | 111 mm | 91 mm | 100 mm | 106 mm | 101 mm | -10 mm |
December temperatures in Tauranga have risen by about 1.1°C between 1981–1985 and 2021–2025.
December has ranged from a record low of 9.2°C (1992) to a record high of 26.3°C (2025).
Rainfall in December is about average for rainfall, averaging 102 mm, with a wettest year of 267 mm.
One of the best times to visit Tauranga
December is one of the best times to visit Tauranga. Expect days averaging 20.4°C and nights around 15.6°C (mean 18°C) — warmer than Tauranga's yearly average — with higher rainfall (102 mm), so conditions are generally comfortable for sightseeing and outdoor plans.
| Year | Avg High | Avg Temp | Avg Low | Hottest Day | Coldest Day | Rainfall | Humidity | Wind | Solar |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21.5°C | 19.1°C | 16.7°C | 26.3°C | 14.4°C | 103 mm | 77% | 4.7 m/s | — |
| 2024 | 22.2°C | 19.4°C | 16.6°C | 25.0°C | 13.8°C | 87 mm | 78% | 4.3 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2023 | 21.0°C | 18.8°C | 16.7°C | 24.1°C | 13.2°C | 106 mm | 82% | 4.2 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2022 | 20.8°C | 18.8°C | 16.8°C | 25.4°C | 13.3°C | 165 mm | 82% | 3.9 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2021 🔥 | 22.4°C | 20.1°C | 17.9°C | 25.6°C | 14.9°C | 117 mm | 79% | 4.3 m/s | 6.6 |
| 2020 | 21.3°C | 18.3°C | 15.2°C | 23.3°C | 11.7°C | 30 mm | 73% | 4.4 m/s | 7.6 |
| 2019 | 21.6°C | 18.8°C | 16.0°C | 23.5°C | 12.3°C | 77 mm | 76% | 4.2 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2018 | 20.8°C | 18.7°C | 16.6°C | 24.2°C | 11.6°C | 258 mm | 81% | 4 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2017 | 21.6°C | 19.3°C | 17.0°C | 23.7°C | 13.9°C | 27 mm | 74% | 3.8 m/s | 7.5 |
| 2016 | 20.0°C | 17.3°C | 14.6°C | 22.6°C | 12.6°C | 40 mm | 77% | 4.6 m/s | 7.3 |
| 2015 | 20.5°C | 17.7°C | 15.0°C | 23.9°C | 12.4°C | 18 mm | 75% | 4.6 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2014 | 19.3°C | 17.2°C | 15.2°C | 22.5°C | 9.8°C | 131 mm | 79% | 4.3 m/s | 6.3 |
| 2013 | 20.8°C | 18.5°C | 16.1°C | 23.0°C | 14.2°C | 134 mm | 76% | 4.4 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2012 | 20.4°C | 18.3°C | 16.3°C | 23.8°C | 12.7°C | 66 mm | 81% | 4.3 m/s | 6.2 |
| 2011 | 18.7°C | 17.3°C | 15.8°C | 21.1°C | 13.1°C | 218 mm | 81% | 4.8 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2010 | 20.9°C | 18.8°C | 16.7°C | 24.0°C | 13.8°C | 91 mm | 81% | 4.4 m/s | 5.9 |
| 2009 | 20.6°C | 17.7°C | 14.7°C | 23.3°C | 12.7°C | 88 mm | 76% | 4.5 m/s | 7.1 |
| 2008 | 20.4°C | 18.0°C | 15.7°C | 23.0°C | 13.5°C | 90 mm | 78% | 4.5 m/s | 6.5 |
| 2007 | 19.9°C | 18.0°C | 16.1°C | 22.1°C | 13.7°C | 86 mm | 80% | 4.4 m/s | 6.4 |
| 2006 | 19.0°C | 16.1°C | 13.2°C | 22.3°C | 9.3°C | 77 mm | 73% | 4.6 m/s | 7.2 |
| 2005 | 21.0°C | 18.7°C | 16.4°C | 24.0°C | 13.8°C | 100 mm | 81% | 4.6 m/s | 6.6 |
| 2004 ❄️ | 18.0°C | 15.5°C | 13.0°C | 22.1°C | 9.6°C | 146 mm | 78% | 6.1 m/s | 6 |
| 2003 | 20.8°C | 18.2°C | 15.7°C | 23.5°C | 12.9°C | 110 mm | 79% | 4 m/s | 6.7 |
| 2002 | 20.2°C | 17.6°C | 15.0°C | 22.3°C | 12.9°C | 101 mm | 76% | 4.5 m/s | 7 |
| 2001 | 20.5°C | 18.7°C | 16.8°C | 22.8°C | 14.2°C | 149 mm | 83% | 4.9 m/s | 5.8 |
| 2000 | 20.4°C | 18.3°C | 16.3°C | 24.0°C | 13.5°C | 56 mm | 78% | 4.4 m/s | 6.6 |
| 1999 | 19.9°C | 17.4°C | 14.9°C | 22.8°C | 12.3°C | 65 mm | 74% | 4.5 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1998 | 21.2°C | 18.6°C | 16.1°C | 25.2°C | 13.2°C | 80 mm | 75% | 4.6 m/s | 6.7 |
| 1997 | 20.6°C | 17.8°C | 15.0°C | 23.5°C | 12.3°C | 47 mm | 76% | 4 m/s | 6.8 |
| 1996 🌧️ | 19.2°C | 16.8°C | 14.4°C | 22.8°C | 11.2°C | 267 mm | 78% | 4.8 m/s | 6.4 |
| 1995 | 20.9°C | 18.6°C | 16.4°C | 23.5°C | 13.8°C | 99 mm | 80% | 4.7 m/s | 6.7 |
| 1994 | 20.9°C | 18.1°C | 15.4°C | 23.3°C | 12.5°C | 30 mm | 74% | 4.3 m/s | 7.3 |
| 1993 | 19.5°C | 16.9°C | 14.2°C | 23.1°C | 11.8°C | 47 mm | 74% | 4.5 m/s | 6.6 |
| 1992 | 19.2°C | 16.9°C | 14.7°C | 21.3°C | 9.2°C | 189 mm | 80% | 4.4 m/s | 6.2 |
| 1991 | 19.5°C | 16.9°C | 14.2°C | 22.5°C | 10.6°C | 59 mm | 76% | 4.3 m/s | 7 |
| 1990 | 21.0°C | 18.1°C | 15.1°C | 24.7°C | 12.9°C | 22 mm | 75% | 5.3 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1989 | 20.2°C | 17.5°C | 14.8°C | 22.7°C | 11.4°C | 75 mm | 75% | 5 m/s | 6.7 |
| 1988 | 20.6°C | 18.5°C | 16.3°C | 22.9°C | 13.5°C | 207 mm | 77% | 4.6 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1987 | 20.0°C | 17.8°C | 15.5°C | 23.2°C | 12.5°C | 144 mm | 79% | 4.8 m/s | 6.5 |
| 1986 | 19.9°C | 17.4°C | 14.9°C | 22.3°C | 11.8°C | 94 mm | 73% | 3.9 m/s | 7.1 |
| 1985 | 20.0°C | 18.1°C | 16.1°C | 23.2°C | 13.9°C | 108 mm | 78% | 3.9 m/s | 6.9 |
| 1984 | 21.4°C | 19.2°C | 16.9°C | 24.0°C | 14.1°C | 169 mm | 81% | 3.8 m/s | 6.6 |
| 1983 | 19.9°C | 17.3°C | 14.6°C | 22.4°C | 11.4°C | 91 mm | 76% | 5.2 m/s | — |
| 1982 | 20.3°C | 17.3°C | 14.3°C | 23.6°C | 11.7°C | 37 mm | 73% | 5 m/s | — |
| 1981 | 20.9°C | 18.7°C | 16.5°C | 23.7°C | 13.7°C | 76 mm | 80% | 3.8 m/s | — |
Actual recorded December data for each year, 1981–2025 — sourced from NASA POWER.
The average high in December is around 20.4°C with lows near 15.6°C (mean 18°C), based on 45 years of NASA POWER data.
December averages 102 mm of rainfall in Tauranga, about average for rainfall. The wettest on record was 267 mm in 1996.
The hottest December reached 26.3°C in 2025. The coldest dipped to 9.2°C in 1992.
Comparing the earliest years on record (1981–1985) with the most recent (2021–2025), average December temperatures have risen by about 1.1°C. Daytime highs moved from 20.5°C to 21.6°C and overnight lows from 15.7°C to 16.9°C over the same span.
December is one of the warmer months of the year in Tauranga and about average for rainfall, so plan for around 20.4°C daytime highs and 15.6°C at night.
Not quite — December is the 9th coolest month in Tauranga, averaging 18°C.
For December in Tauranga, pack light layers you can adjust through the day, with typical highs of 20.4°C and lows of 15.6°C. Bring an umbrella or light rain jacket too.
Relative humidity in December averages 77% — quite humid.
Average wind speed in December is 4.5 m/s. The windiest December on record averaged 6.1 m/s (2004).
The wettest December on record was 1996 with 267 mm. On average, December sees 102 mm.
All figures are derived from NASA POWER (Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources), based on MERRA-2 satellite reanalysis, covering 1981–2025.
Explore how the weather in Tauranga behaves each December, based on 45 years of NASA POWER climate data from 1981 to 2025. This page breaks down average temperatures, rainfall, humidity, wind and solar radiation for December specifically, along with year-by-year records and how the month has changed over the decades.
