People heading out to swimming spots across Taranaki this summer are being encouraged to wait a few days after heavy rain before diving in. Taranaki Regional Council’s summer “Can I Swim Here?" monitoring programme starts this week, running through until the end of March 2024. Every Tuesday staff will take water samples at 41 popular swimming spots at lakes, rivers and beaches across the region. Results take two days to come back from the lab, and are posted on the Land, Air, Water Aotearoa
There was a lot of rain on Taranaki Maunga last month with our gauge at Dawson Falls recording 43% more than normal – and nearly a metre of rain for the month. The monitoring station recorded 985mm of rain and there was 811mm at the North Taranaki Visitors Centre gauge – that's 20% more than usual. For non-Maunga sites, the average was 149.4mm, 18% less than usual, ranging from 57% less rain at Waitōtara at Rimunui Station and 15% more at Pātea at Stratford. Year-to-date rainfall is lowest at
all our gauges. On Taranaki Maunga, our rain gauge at Dawson Falls recorded more than a metre of rain in June (1087mm), which is 56% above normal. Mean river flows for June were 5.4% greater than typical values, low flows were 59.5% greater, and high flows 51.3% greater than typical values while mean river (non-mountain) water temperatures were 11.1°C, an average of 0.4°C warmer than long-term values for the month. The average air temperature for the region (excluding Te Maunga sites) was 11.1°C,
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Taranaki Regional Council
New Plymouth Constituency
Electing 5 Regional Councillors
Bev RAINE
My principal place of residence is in the New
Plymouth Constituency area.
Thank you for electing me to the TRC in 2016.
I am proud to have been involved in the
achievements of this Regional Council which, I
believe, sets standards envied by counterparts
throughout New Zealand.
Excellent relationships with the rural community have enabled
the Council to protect river quality
This year’s trend for lower rainfall continued with an average of 135.2mm in Taranaki in July, 23% less than usual. Among all locations, Taungatara at Eltham Rd had the lowest rainfall compared to its average, with 39% less rain, while Dawson Falls had the highest, with 9% more than usual. Year-to-date rainfall is lowest at Waitotara at Hawken Rd with 41% less rainfall than normal, Motunui M39 at Weston W3 has had the highest year-to-date rainfall with 4% less normal rainfall, on average there
year-to-date totals for rain gauge sites in Taranaki.
May Year to Date
Rain gauge # days
with rain
Total
rain
(mm)
% of
typical
month
Total to
date (mm)
% of typical
year to date
% of typical
full year
Records
Began
North Egmont at
Visitors Centre 13 811.0 119.8 2332.0 100.1 34.5 1996
Dawson Falls 15 985.0 143.3 2472.0 112.8 38.8 1999
Kapoaiaia at Kahui
Hut 20 608.5 117.7 1788.0 99.5 34.2 2006
Mangorei Upper at
Forest Hill 13 292.0 73.3
to date totals for rain gauge sites in Taranaki.
June Year to Date
Rain gauge # days
with rain
Total rain
(mm)
% of
typical
month
Total to
date (mm)
% of typical
year to date
% of typical
full year
Records
Began
North Egmont at
Visitors Centre 20 858.5 128.7 3190.5 106.5 46.6 1996
Dawson Falls 23 1087.0 156.2 3559.0 123.3 55.9 1999
Kapoaiaia at Kahui
Hut 25 690.5 128.9 2478.5 106.2 47.4 2006
Mangorei Upper at
Forest Hill 19 367.5 116.2
and year-to-date totals for rain gauge sites in Taranaki.
April Year to Date
Rain gauge # days
with rain
Total rain
(mm)
% of
typical
month
Total to
date (mm)
% of typical
year to date
% of typical
full year
Records
Began
North Egmont at
Visitors Centre 20 1004.5 204.3 1521.0 92.3 22.3 1996
Dawson Falls 18 959.0 197.7 1487.0 98.8 23.4 1999
Kapoaiaia at Kahui
Hut 15 656.5 160.5 1179.5 92.1 22.6 2006
Mangorei Upper at
Forest Hill 16 526.5
The torrential rain which hit Taranaki at the start of July saw many rivers hit incredible maximum flows of water including 417m³/sec in the Waiwhakaiho River at Egmont Village and 1,367m³/sec in the Waitara River at Bertrand Road. Figures from Taranaki Regional Council show flooding at the Tāngāhoe River in South Taranaki was a one-in-20-year event (with 349m³/sec maximum flow) and the Waitōtara River experienced a one-in-11-year flood when the region was deluged by a huge amount of rain on 3
