Hawke's Bay gets a Christmas soaking, but the New Year should be better

Hawke's Bay got a taste of a winter Christmas. It might not have been white but it surely was wet. Photo / Warren Buckland

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The worst of the rain should be over for Hawke's Bay, according to MetService, but unfortunately it's still not beach weather yet.

MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said Napier had seen 40.2mm of rain in the 48 hours leading up to 8.30am on Christmas Day.

Hastings was even wetter with 53.2mm, and the ranges got a soaking, with 132mm.

McInnes said the worst rain occurred overnight on Christmas Eve.

While it might not have been the best start to Christmas Day, the rain would likely stay away for Boxing Day, and the New Year forecast was looking a bit brighter, McInnes said.

Despite the weather, people were still getting out and about for a proper Kiwi Christmas.

Owner of Hawke's Bay Holiday Park Vicky Stewart said the park had a couple of groups still braving Christmas in tents.

"We've actually got a couple who have left their tent and gone to a hotel, but we still have some brave tenters."

One tenter, Harriet Cooney, said despite the weather she and her finance Phillip Kershaw, who are from Auckland, were having a great time.

"Obviously the weather hasn't been great but Hawke's Bay is such a beautiful place, we've just made the most of it."

Kershaw is an experienced camper, so Cooney said he had built a good tent for them.

"He's dragging me around and teaching me the ropes."

Fortunately for the pair, Hawke's Bay was likely to be sunny with cloudy patches over the New Year, according to Weatherwatch forecaster Philip Duncan.

He said both New Years Eve and New Years Day would be warm.

A shower was possible on the morning of the last day of 2018, but it would clear to sunny skies and temperatures in the mid 20s.

The first day of 2019 might see some patchy cloud, but it should be mainly fine with a temperatures again in the mid 20s, Duncan said.