March 1959:  A warm month. Good midmonth rains provided some relief for the dried-up pastures of Marlborough and Nelson, with more rain wanted. Elsewhere, stock condition was good, except for lambs still being adversely affected by the moist conditions in parts of the North Island.

A tropical cyclone which passed close to North Cape on the evening of the 14th caused widespread damage over the northern half of Northland. At Cape Reinga the barometer fell to 963mb – the lowest ever recorded in the North Island. Winds from the northeast reached hurricane force, with a gust of 110 mph at Kaitaia Aerodrome. Many buildings, including 5 churches and 3 halls, were destroyed by the wind, and power and telephone services were completely disrupted over a wide area. In the Kerikeri district much of the tree-tomato and citrus crop was destroyed.

Rainfall: Rainfall was close to average over the greater part of the country. However, over most of Northland and Coromandel and in the Christchurch-Ashburton area it was double average. Southland and Otago received only half the normal rainfall. From Whangarei northwards, 3/4 of the total rain fell from the 12th to the 17th.

Temperatures: In the North Island and in northern and western districts of the South Island temperatures were warmer than usual by 1F-3F. Over the remainder of the South Island they were close to normal.

Sunshine: Over the greater part of the country sunshine was below average by about 30 hours. However, western and southern districts were favoured with more sun than usual by a similar amount; and in western parts of the Wellington Province sunshine was close to normal.

 [Some totals: Te Hapua 169, Kaitaia 154, Kerikeri 148, Whangarei 146, Auckland 189, Tauranga 170, Whakatane 205, Taupo 144, Hamilton 150, New Plymouth 187, Masterton 147, Gisborne 160, Napier 188, Wairoa 170, Paraparaumu 196, Palmerston North 162, Levin 179, Wellington 185, Wanganui 183, Westport 187, Hokitika 204, Greymouth 188, Haast 183, Nelson 202, Blenheim 200, Grassmere 176, Mt Cook 136, Methven 160, Christchurch 154, Tekapo 212, Timaru 153, Waimate 136, Omarama 191, Dunedin Aero 177, Dunedin 177, Queenstown 190,  Alexandra 197, Invercargill 169, Campbell Is 68, Chatham Is 156].


Sources: NZ Met. Misc. pub. 107 (Climatological table, NZ Gazette) and NZ Met. Misc. pub. 109 (Meteorological Observations) - additional comments by the poster.