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New Zealand’s latitude，geography and physical features have combined to give the country a unique temperate oceanic climate.Being surrounded on all sides by vast oceans，the country is not subject to significant weather influences from other land masses，and there are no extremes of temperature.The high mountain ranges that lie in the way of the prevailing westerly winds help to make the contrast in climate from west to east sharper than that from north to south.The mountainous areas that are exposed to these winds receive large amounts of rainfall.The Southern Alps，for instance，receive 6，300 millimeters of rainfall annually，while the national average is between 635 and 1，550 millimeters.

New Zealand’s summer season lasts from December to February，with temperatures averaging 23℃on the North Island and 21℃on the South Island.Winter runs from June to August，when temperatures average 13℃in the north and 9℃in the south.

New Zealand is a sunny country，with many areas getting over 2，000 hours of sunshine a year.This，together with ample rainfall，gives the country extensive evergreen forests.However，most of the forests were cut down to make room for pastoral farm.Today，forests cover about one⁃thirds of its territory.New Zealand is home to many unique plant species as a result of the country’s isolation from other parts of the world.