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I'm from Ireland currently living in Christchurch New Zealand and i love the climate in Canterbury due to a good amount of sunshine, dry and mostly mild-warm-hot. One of the biggest reasons migrants to a new location is because of climate as it dictates their lifestyle. One thing i wasn't told and quickly realized was how intense the Sun is here, i arrived in mid August 2013 and while temperatures were cold in the morning and night by midday they were rarely below 10 degrees and the Sun on my skin was the most intense i have ever felt. Getting burnt in winter is a strange experience and i quickly realized how different the climate was here compared to back home. A 16 degree sunny day in New Zealand would feel similar to a 20 degree day elsewhere. I am just confused as whenever the climate of New Zealand is discussed it is never mentioned? In fact people merely look at temperatures. I have even talked to Aussies who have came over here and couldn't believe how intense the heat of the sun is here. I feel this is something that is highly underestimated and all people who come here should be aware of it especially as New Zealand has one of the highest number of Skin cancer in the world. Thank God we don't get the 40 degree days that you can regularly get in OZ with this sun as then the climate would virtually be unbearable
Yeah I love that about winter here - warm enough winter sun for crickets and katydids to chirp away on all but the coldest/wettest days, and after a decent frost as well.
I'm from Ireland currently living in Christchurch New Zealand and i love the climate in Canterbury due to a good amount of sunshine, dry and mostly mild-warm-hot. One of the biggest reasons migrants to a new location is because of climate as it dictates their lifestyle. One thing i wasn't told and quickly realized was how intense the Sun is here, i arrived in mid August 2013 and while temperatures were cold in the morning and night by midday they were rarely below 10 degrees and the Sun on my skin was the most intense i have ever felt. Getting burnt in winter is a strange experience and i quickly realized how different the climate was here compared to back home. A 16 degree sunny day in New Zealand would feel similar to a 20 degree day elsewhere. I am just confused as whenever the climate of New Zealand is discussed it is never mentioned? In fact people merely look at temperatures. I have even talked to Aussies who have came over here and couldn't believe how intense the heat of the sun is here. I feel this is something that is highly underestimated and all people who come here should be aware of it especially as New Zealand has one of the highest number of Skin cancer in the world. Thank God we don't get the 40 degree days that you can regularly get in OZ with this sun as then the climate would virtually be unbearable
OP, I researched the weather and COL while planning a trip to NZ, and discovered, among other things, that there's a big ozone hole in the atmosphere above NZ, so that it's recommended to take precautions against sun exposure. That's one thing contributing to the higher rate of skin cancer.
This issue is discussed (though apparently not on this forum) on the internet; you just have to look for it. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, as they say.
I was reading that NZ has high rates because the country hasn't embraced "sun safety" measures like AU has, like ensuring adequate shade pavilions, banning tanning salons, forcing school kids to wear caps, etc...
If you have pale Irish skin you should wear long sleeved shirts, even if hot. You may sweat more but you may be preventing cancer later on in life. You can do outdoor activities but when you take breaks always sit in the shade, things like that. If it's 40C out, people understand to seek shade, if it's 16C out, people may prefer sun over shade, but it's actually better not to if you have light skin.
I was reading that NZ has high rates because the country hasn't embraced "sun safety" measures like AU has, like ensuring adequate shade pavilions, banning tanning salons, forcing school kids to wear caps, etc...
If you have pale Irish skin you should wear long sleeved shirts, even if hot. You may sweat more but you may be preventing cancer later on in life. You can do outdoor activities but when you take breaks always sit in the shade, things like that. If it's 40C out, people understand to seek shade, if it's 16C out, people may prefer sun over shade, but it's actually better not to if you have light skin.
skin cancer is still the third highest cancer in Australia.
The UV index in Sydney today, is 9. Not many people actually check the index when they check the weather
For example, last week was 23 degrees, with a UV rating of 7, which is still high.
Yes i have certainly learned to take precaution especially since i'm a roofer, i'm exposed to the elements throughout the entire year. My pasty Irish white skin that i arrived with is no longer pasty no matter how much i protected it lol but using SPF 30 is sufficient to stop burning. I also find it quite strange as when people talk about the New Zealand climate on forums etc they talk as if the summers are merely just warm and comparable to back home just being a small bit warmer which is laughable, they have obviously never experienced the climate and sun here which is a huge difference. I find i wear more sun cream in the winter here than the summer back home never-mind the rest of the year lol. I just think people need to be more aware of the Sun here and to take great precaution. Many older tradesmen i have talked to have had melanoma cut out of their body, mostly from their face
I was reading that NZ has high rates because the country hasn't embraced "sun safety" measures like AU has, like ensuring adequate shade pavilions, banning tanning salons, forcing school kids to wear caps, etc...
If you have pale Irish skin you should wear long sleeved shirts, even if hot. You may sweat more but you may be preventing cancer later on in life. You can do outdoor activities but when you take breaks always sit in the shade, things like that. If it's 40C out, people understand to seek shade, if it's 16C out, people may prefer sun over shade, but it's actually better not to if you have light skin.
Primary school kids have to wear hats here etc and Shade sails are pretty standard in a lot of public areas etc. The sunsmart message seems pretty over the top here to me. It must be pretty bad in Aussie, if it's worse than here.
Something I often comment on in the weather forum, is how many countries lack covered pavement in towns outside stores etc. Standard in NZ and Australia, but not so common in many other countries -I don't know why a town wouldn't have covered sidewalks, rain as well as sun are something that people want shelter from.
I enjoy it. Allows one to sit in sheltered spots in winter and get good warming effects when the temperature is relatively low.
There is no ozone hole over NZ. However the Antarctic vortex traps ozone-depleted air in the winters, and when this breaks up such air moves over adjoining areas. There are signs that this is starting to in the northern hemisphere as well, apparently.
Something I often comment on in the weather forum, is how many countries lack covered pavement in towns outside stores etc. Standard in NZ and Australia, but not so common in many other countries -I don't know why a town wouldn't have covered sidewalks, rain as well as sun are something that people want shelter from.
Could you post a photo, so we can see what it looks like?
We have covered sidewalks here outside buildings but it's just plexiglass and it just protects from excessive rain and not from the sun.
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