All our books are created by New Zealand authors and illustrators

New Zealand Weather

Where do cyclones come from? How is rain, snow and hail formed? What creates clouds, frost, fog and rainbows?

Who isn’t fascinated by the weather? Sometimes it seems like it is all we talk about. But understanding it is a different thing. Alistair Hughes has distilled the knowledge of various meteorologists and delivered it in simple explanations and dozens of beautiful illustrations.

What impacts on our New Zealand weather, how does forecasting work, what are la niña and el niño, how to read weather maps, how rain, fog and storms form, and how Māori meteorology works. Everything you need to know about our weather.

Written and illustrated by Alistair Hughes

$27.99 incl. GST

2 in stock

Description

Reviews

Becks Popham, The Sapling ~ New Zealand Weather encapsulates a wide range of topics, from how early Polynesian arrivals adapted to their new climate, Māori meteorology to climate change, and wind/solar powered energy sources. Hughes keeps things pretty simple, and it can be a fine line, but he deftly manages to pack the essentials into 40 pages without info dumping. All in all, New Zealand Weather is a solid, simple, accessible science book that would be a grand addition to any primary school bookshelf and I’m happy to add it to mine!

Paula Green, Poetry Box ~ As the wider world navigates the effects of climate change, a clear informative book on weather in Aotearoa New Zealand is utterly timely. And this is a clearly written and informative book. Alistair begins by exploring how it makes a difference to be an island nation, to be caught in the middle of polar blasts and tropical currents. With the help of excellent maps and diagrams, he explains the science of rain, wind, snow, thunder, cyclones. We get to meet the multiple aids weather forecasters rely on and why the planet and its people are dependent upon rain for survival.

About the Kiwi creator

Alistair Hughes has illustrated several children’s books including Kea: Curiouser and Curiouser, Snapper: The Real Story, and Ice Breaker! An Epic Antarctic Adventure. He has also authored and illustrated The New Zealand Night Sky. Alistair writes, illustrates and designs graphics for his own company; Shoreline Creative, while living in a little mountainside village near Nelson.

Additional information

Weight120 g
Dimensions25 × 25 × 1 cm
First published

2025

Format

Paperback edition

ISBN

9781776940813

Page count

40

Published by

White Cloud Books (an imprint of Upstart Press)

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