Hawke's Bay feels the chill, finally, after one of its hottest Junes on record

The day soon became fine with some cloud, and bit of ocean swell - a typical day on the coast around Awatoto. Photo / Warren Buckland

Hawke's Bay's finally cooling down after one of its hottest Junes on record, but afternoon sun means the chill's not lasting.

The lowest temperature on national meteorological agency MetService's route up State Highway 2 on Monday was the -2.3 degrees Celsius on the Takapau Plains.

In Hastings it was -2C at 8am, in Napier the low was -1.8C, in Wairoa it dropped to -1.2C and in Dannevirke it was -2C.

In Masterton the -5.5C frost is thought to have been a record for the 33 years since the service began keeping records for the town's Hood Aerodrome.

In Hamilton the city was in fog throughout the morning. After an overnight low of -3.6C the temperature had risen less than 8deg by 12.30pm, when the temperature was 4C, said MetService meteorologist Stephen Glassey.

The warmest temperature in Hawke's Bay about 2pm on Monday was 13C in Wairoa. It was 11.2C in Hastings and 10.1C in Napier.

Glassey said more frost was expected in Hawke's Bay overnight on Monday-Tuesday, but temperatures would then warm with a northerly air flow over the North Island, with a maximum of 17C forecast for Napier on Wednesday.

After some rain or showers, also on Wednesday, most of Hawke's Bay is expected to be fine but with maximum temperatures just below 15C for the following days, including the first weekend of the school holidays.

New season varietal in Napier, the frozen ornamental pumpkin. Photo / Supplied

Meanwhile, climate agency Niwa has confirmed New Zealand had its warmest June on record which in some cases goes back more than 120 years, including Hastings having the hottest temperature of the month nationwide: 22C about the time of Saturday-afternoon sport on June 26.

Other above-average outcomes in Hawke's Bay were record-high mean June temperatures of 13.2C at Mahia (2.4C above normal with records dating back to 1990), and 10.1C at Waipawa (1.9C above normal in records dating back to 1945). Mahia also had its highest mean maximum, at 15.5C, and highest mean minimum at 10.9C.

Hawke's Bay Regional Council scientist Dr Kathleen Kozyniak was relishing the climate of the month, with rainfall averaging 34 per cent above average across its network of mountain, plains and coastal recording stations.

"It's good not to be the bearer of grim news for a change," she said in releasing the council's monthly rain report.