Meeson. — The liain/all of New Zealand. 



549 



shows the faUacy of general averages for determining weather 

 at any particular season and at any particular place. There 

 are, however, many facts connected with the law of storms 

 and meteorology generally that we can only get at properly 

 by means of statistics. 



Up to 1859 observations in our colony were of a very irre- 

 gular character. The following table — compiled from the 

 Meteorological EejDorts since that date — shows approximately 

 the mean annual average of rainfall, and also the average 

 number of days on which that rainfall occurs : — 



Auckland . . 



Wellington 



Dunedin . . 



Christchurch 



Napier 



Taranaki . . 



Hokitika . . 



Wallacetowu 



Bealcy 



Mongonui 



Wanganui 



Nelson* . . 



Foxton 



Gisborne 



Blenheim 



Cape Campbell 



Pakawau, Golden Bay 



Oamaru . . 



Qnc^ii.Titowu 



Wairarapa . . 



Wellington Reservoir 



Farewell Spit 



Rotorua . . 



The Brothers 



Puysegur Point 



Milford Sound 



Bluff 



Waiau 



Ciiatham Islands . . 



18CG-88 inclusive 



18G6-84 

 1866-80 



1866-79 

 1866-80 

 1866-72 



1874-82 I 

 1875-81 

 1862-81 

 1874-80 

 1869-77 

 1869-74 

 1872-79 

 July, 1870, to June, 1872 

 '1881-82 inclusive 



1887 

 1882 

 11 months of 1882! 

 June-Dec, 1863 

 1869 

 1881 

 1882 



° Sph^ 



<^ 



::« 



184 

 110 



* See subsequent remarks ; only 38'28in. in 1880, and only 30in. now. 

 t All save April. 



It will be seen that, although this table deals with twenty- 

 nine places, anything like a mean annual average of rainfall for 

 a rmmber of consecutive years is only given in the case of the 

 first nineteen places. As far as the others are concerned, the 

 figures given are only the mean of the rainfall of two or three 

 consecutive years ; and as regards seven places, there is given 

 merely the number of inches for a particular year or part of a 



