Differences between the climate of England and New Zealand (2015, South, highest)
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I've lived in places with a High of 32C, but I didn't actually get a greater sense of summer, just that it was hotter. Summer for me is about water -surfing/swimming/fishing etc and gardening. As long as I can do those things comfortably, I'm happy.
For me "good weather" (not necessarily summer) is for the most part being able to go about outdoors in sunshine and get around without either needing to sweat too much when walking, or feeling icy cold either. I can certainly appreciate hot summer days, up to quite high values, but in those cases will mostly prefer to sit in semi-shade and enjoy the sunshine less directly. If if it's not sunny, to me the heat will feel somewhat wasted in the daytime, though acceptable at night (not too late in the night) if it's dry and there is no low cloudiness.
The "eternal spring" as described above suited me fine in a long spell of extremely sunny weather from lateish January to mid-March, especially in a spell of 5 weeks with over 80% of possible sunshine. It was perfect for outdoor walking (in many cases partly in semi-shaded bushy areas as the strong UV in the middle of the day and reflectivity off dry ground could not be taken too lightly), and with the kind of views I can get here it was paradise.
NZ is certainly not warmer than France, to the contrary. About half of it is below 10°C (all dark green area in the souther island, and the blue ones in the mountains); only in some parts of the north east near the borders with Belgium and Germany, and in the mountains (massif central, Alpes, pyrennes) you get such low annual means. About 60% of France has annual means above 12°C; only the northern island (without the inland wich is cooler) reach those.
The dark green and cooler areas are mostly alpine regions which are virtually uninhabited. About a third of NZ's population live in Auckland (in the middle of that orange region) and less than a quarter live in the South Island.
Landscapes, air quality, climate, etc... Nowhere in England can beat the climate of the northern island of NZ.
Btw I also agree that France has a better climate. Well, in my opinion the southernmost strip of France, the one on the Mediterranean coast and the SW coastal strip (from Arcachon to Hendaye) beat NZ
This thread was an interesting read. Lots of old-school posters: some much lamented, others less so.
In review, it seems the conclusions were:
1. New Zealand sunnier in winter.
2. Sunshine about the same in summer.
3. The North Island is warmer than England.
4. The South Island is about as warm as England.
5. France is better than both of them.
6. Something about Northern Ireland.
Direct hours comparisons for summer months are misleading. The sunnier parts of NZ beat England for %possible all year round. Shanklin in the UK tops out at about 54% of possible sun in its sunniest month - Nelson, Blenheim, Whakatane and also Tekapo in the colder zones get up to 65% in their sunniest months.
A very large portion of France is cloudier than the average NZ location. The distribution map for France is very heavily weighted towards the SE. In the sunnier French zones of course, it's no race at all.
The mean annual temperature for > 100 South Island stations is 11.0C (and that's including a significant number that have little population). This Met Office map shows that the England mean is significantly lower.
Both have weak summers. NZ has warmer and sunnier winters, more appealing to most people except cold lovers.
Overall NZ wins, but both are C climates. Arguing over which is best is like two bald men arguing over a comb
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