Page:Transactions and Proceedings of the New Zealand Institute - Volume 1 (2nd ed.).djvu/523

Showing the Rainfall in the North and South Islands of New Zealand complied from the earliest Observations to the present date, 1867.

Place.	Mean Annual Rainfall.	Average of Rainfall for the different Seasons of the Year, with the Mean Number of Days of Rain.								Mean Number of Days on which Rain falls annually.	Period of Observations
		Spring. (Sept., Oct., Nov.)		Summer. (Dec., Jan., Feb.)		Autumn. (Mar., April, May.)		Winter. (June, July, Aug.)
North Island	Inches.	Inches.	Days.	Inches.	Days.	Inches.	Days.	Inches.	Days.	Days.
Auckland	44.682	11.031	45	8.378	27	11.009	37	14.265	56	177	15 years
Taranaki	58.584	17.088	42	10.974	27	14.133	30	17.190	47	146	12{{{1}}}„
Wellington	50.091	12.148	35	9.085	27	12.660	33	16.021	46	146	10{{{1}}}„
Means for North Island	51.119	13.422	40	9.679	27	12.602	33	15.828	49	156
South Island
Nelson	54.721	16.476	28	13.211	17	8.795	19	14.551	23	92	16 years
Christchurch*	31.036	5.145	24	7.266	23	8.022	26	13.198	35	113	11{{{1}}}„
Dunedin	32.886	8.129	44	9.428	41	7.943	38	7.253	36	178	15{{{1}}}„
Means for South Island	39.474	10.006	32	9.968	27	8.253	27	11.665	31	127
	51.119	13.422	40	9.676	27	12.602	33	15.828	49	156
	39.747	10.006	32	9.968	27	8.253	27	11.665	31	127
Means for both Islands	45.433	11.714	36	9.823	27	10.427	30	13.746	35	141

* The monthly average for the amount of rain and the number of days of rainfall are only for eight years, while the mean annual fall and number of days are for the eleven years.

Note.—From the above it will be observed that Taranaki has the lightest average annual rainfall (58.584), and Nelson is the next (54.721), while the average means for Christchurch (31.636) and Dunedin (32.886) are the lowest; but while Dunedin has a much smaller annual fall of rain than the others, yet there are a greater number of days of rain yearly at that place than at any of the other stations; and although the mean fall for Nelson is one of the lightest averages, still the mean number of days of rain in that locality is the least of all. Taking these six stations, the annual rainfall and number of days of rain is greater in the North than in the South Island.