Warmer than usual November temperatures heat up the Bay

Rotorua's Archy Tuakanakore cools off at the Tarawera Landing. Photo / Andrew Warner

How good was this weekend's weather? It's been a scorcher for Rotorua with many experiencing their first swim at the lakes. Journalist Zoe Hunter finds out how the locals enjoyed their day and catches up with a meteorologist to see how long it's expected to last.

The weather is starting to heat up, with warmer than usual temperatures recorded in Rotorua this weekend.

Rotorua recorded a high of 28C yesterday, which was higher than the average temperature for the month last year.

However, southerly winds kept temperatures slightly lower on Saturday with a high of 22C.

MetService meteorologist Andy Best said the warm weather was due to a "big pulse" of warm air coming from Australia moving across the Tasman Sea and towards New Zealand.

"It is beginning to warm up," he said.

Best said the average temperature for November in Rotorua this time last year was 23C.

"It is a little warmer than normal because of that unusual pulse of warm air moving across the Tasman Sea," he said.

However, Best said people would really start to feel the heat from December, with the highest temperatures usually recorded in January and February.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand eastern regional manager Chris Emmett said the warm weather was definitely bringing people out on the beaches.

However, he said the water was still a little chilly.

"There is a lot of people sunbathing and using watercraft out on the water in the Bay," he said. "It has been a really good start to the season."

Rotorua's Nevaeh Ruareti was at Punaromia (Tarawera Landing) with his family for the first time since last summer.

The 11-year-old said he enjoyed "doing big manus" off the landing.

Nevaeh said the water was "cold and refreshing" but the sun was hot. "It feels like the first day of summer," he said.

A 27C high was expected for Rotorua tomorrow and 25C on Tuesday.