Weather Watch   Weather Watch: Our landscape dictates a range of
weather systems  Auckland's weather could be attributed to its
lack of significant ranges. Photo / Richard Robinson  The
mountains and ranges that help create our nastiest floods are
also the very things that give New Zealand its world famous
environment and diverse weather.  When you look at a map of the
world, it's hard to believe our two main islands are at a
latitude that can support people wearing shorts and T-shirts
even in winter. Our ranges play a big part in this - acting as
walls to stop bad weather from advancing to all regions.
Conversely, they hold up bad weather, sometimes making it more
intense where it hits.  The Chatham Islands has a reputation for
being a windswept place to live - yet it shares the same
latitude as Canterbury, a region known for snow, yes, but also
40-degree temperatures in summer and droughts.  If we could
smooth out the Southern Alps, remove the main divide up the
North Island's East Coast, flatten Central Pl