Source: Radio New Zealand
Fitzroy Beach is New Plymouth’s most popular swimming beach. RNZ / Robin Martin
New Plymouth has been crowned the sunniest spot in New Zealand.
With 2743 sunshine hours in 2025, Earth Sciences NZ found the Taranaki region basked in sunshine for 2743 hours in 2025, putting it ahead of Nelson (2672 hours), and Marlborough (2644 hours) in third place.
It’s the third time in the past five years it has won sunniest place in the country.
New Plymouth District Mayor Max Brough told Summer Times sunshine is good for you’re health, and the city has plenty of it.
“Everyone’s in a sunny mood in New Plymouth, every day, it’s a great place to live.”
New Plymouth District Mayor Max Brough. LDR /Te Korimako o Taranaki
Other draw cards were the region’s coastal walkway, mountain tracks and trails, he said.
Brough’s favourite thing to do in Taranaki is go fishing.
“We’ve probably one of the best kept secrets in the fishing world… It’s great to go fishing,” he said.
“You go fishing in the Hauraki Gulf and you’re lucky if you can get a fish that’s bigger than the palm of your hand. If you come down to Taranaki, they don’t start until about the length of your arm.”
Brough, who became mayor for the first time at the last elections, said he was “absolutely gobsmacked” at the number of new citizens getting sworn in to live in New Plymouth.
“People are coming from all around the world to live here,” he said.
The entrance to Te Papa-Kura-o-Taranaki. Supplied / New Plymouth District Council
On the other end of the spectrum, Dunedin was found to be the least sunniest.
As for the wettest location, according to rain gauges, it was Cropp River at the Waterfall on the West Coast, which recorded 10.951mm of rain.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
