 Due to these winds, the cooler South Island cities such as Dunedin and Christchurch have higher all-time record temperatures than places further north such as Wellington, Auckland and Whangarei.Winter temperatures are much milder in New Zealand compared to other areas of similar latitude, with the exception of the Central Otago and Mackenzie Basin regions mentioned above.Maxima are generally in the North Island, decreasing as one goes further south or inland.