While temperatures in most of the main centres hovered around the late teens or low twenties today, Dunedin's high was 26C.
WeatherWatch head analyst Phil Duncan said, overall, temperatures were higher than average, because of a big high to the north of New Zealand spinning anticlockwise and bringing weather from Queensland and as a far away as New Caledonia.
"September and October were warmer generally. It's normal spring weather but warmer than usual."
Duncan told the Herald the North Island had been wetter than usual, whereas Canterbury's drought was continuing.
The high temperatures indicated Kiwis could be in for record-breaking highs this summer, Duncan said.