People enjoy Lake Okareka during the hot weather of Auckland Anniversary Weekend.
Taking a dip in Rotorua's lakes is just one of the ways both locals and visitors have been cooling down in the scorching summer weather.
MetService communications meteorologist Lisa Murray said the temperatures over the long weekend at Rotorua Airport had been a maximum of 22.6C on Saturday, 26.2C on Sunday, and yesterday'sexpected high temperature was 29C.
"It really is warm and muggy. It can be difficult to sleep in these temperatures."
She said the rest of week would have a similar pattern of fine with evening cloud, until scattered showers on Saturday.
So far this January there has been 44.4mm of rain recorded at Rotorua Airport.
Murray said last year's rainfall was 206.8mm in the month of January, a lot of which fell in the first week, so it was much wetter last year compared with this year.
David Taito, with his daughter Ayva, 6, are all smiles in the water. Photo / Stephen Parker
Rotorua's Christina Yandall was enjoying the sun at Lake Ōkareka with family, including family visiting from Auckland.
She said during the long weekend they had gone to the Redwoods, searching for Rotorocks and visiting the Fairy Grotto.
Freyja Taito, who was visiting from Auckland, said the Redwoods had been nice and shady.
"It was beautiful, I couldn't recommend it enough."
They said, as well as visiting the water at Lake Ōkareka, they had made up a water slide at home and had eaten ice blocks to help beat the heat.
Caiden Yandall, 4, is all smiles on his board. Photo / Stephen Parker
Tauranga's Kenny McCallum also visited Lake Ōkareka during the long weekend with his wife and grandchildren.
He said to help beat the hot summer weather they had bought a little paddling pool and set it up on the deck for the children, had gone to Ōmokoroa in Tauranga, and then came to Lake Ōkareka for the day.
Aura Welsh, 3, enjoys playing in the water. Photo / Stephen Parker
James Holder and his sons Josiah, 4, and Ezekiel, 11 months, have fun paddling on the lake. Photo / Stephen Parker
Upcoming weather forecast - Today: High 29C, Overnight 18C, sunny and hot then evening cloud. Light winds - Tomorrow: High 27C, Overnight 17C, sunny and warm, but some morning and evening cloud. Light winds - Thursday : High 26C, Overnight 16C, partly cloudy, northeast breezes - Friday : High 25C, Overnight 15C, fine apart from cloud morning and night. Westerlies developing Source: MetService
