Hottest day since April 2 — 25.5C

A109 Light Utility Helicopter flight with mayor Gisborne City from the air in November 2023.

Gisborne shot to the top of the temperature table yesterday with a high that was well above the norm for the time of year.

Yesterday’s maximum hit 25.5 degrees, rounded up to 26C on television, and was the top temperature of the day for New Zealand.

It was well above the 30-year mean daily maximum for October of 18.9C.

The last time the mercury reached yesterday’s level was back on April 2.

Despite the summer warmth, yesterday’s figure still fell well short of Gisborne’s hottest October day.

That was set on October 29, 1977 when the mercury hit a high of 30.8C.

Official MetService records began at Darton airfield in 1937, although earlier local records date back to just after the turn of the century.