Oban, New Zealand
Oban is the principal settlement on Stewart Island / Rakiura, the southernmost inhabited island of the New Zealand archipelago. Oban is located on Halfmoon Bay (sometimes used as an alternative name for the town), on Paterson Inlet. It has aircraft connections with Invercargill and a ferry service to Bluff.
Oban
Pā nui o Hau (Māori) | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Oban | |
 Overlooking Oban and Halfmoon Bay | |
  Oban Location in New Zealand | |
| Coordinates: 46°54′S 168°08′E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Southland |
| District | Southland District |
| Population | |
| • Total | 387 |
The settlement was named after Oban in Scotland,[1] (An t-Òban in Scottish Gaelic, meaning The Little Bay), due to the strong influence Scottish settlers had in the south of early colonial New Zealand.
According to the March 2001 New Zealand census, the island's permanent resident population was 387 at that time, a decrease of 30 since 1996. Approximately 80% of these live in Oban. Newer estimates put the population at around 400, and the island has received a moderate boost of commerce and some millions in government funding since tourism increased markedly after the opening of the Rakiura National Park.[2]
Climate
The Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as a mid-latitude oceanic (Cfb). Temperatures are mild to cool year-round, with average high temperatures ranging from 17.2 °C (63.0 °F) in January, the warmest month, to 9.9 °C (49.8 °F) in July, the coolest month. The strong oceanic influence here results in small temperature variations. The diurnal temperature variation is quite low, around 7–8 °C (13–14 °F) yearlong, and seasonal temperature variation (the difference between the warmest and coldest months) is about 7 °C (13 °F). Precipitation averages 1,490 mm (58.65 in) per year, and is evenly distributed across the year (see climate chart). Year-round, Oban lies in the direct path of mid-latitude cyclones (low-pressure systems, or depressions) arriving from the Southern Ocean, generally moving from southwest to northeast, or west to east. As such, the climate is predominantly windy, cloudy and rainy; clear days, and days with calm to minimal wind are rare.
| Climate data for Oban (1975–2015, Rainfall 1917–2015) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 27.0 (80.6) |
28.5 (83.3) |
26.5 (79.7) |
29.0 (84.2) |
19.8 (67.6) |
17.5 (63.5) |
16.0 (60.8) |
17.1 (62.8) |
21.3 (70.3) |
23.9 (75.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
27.2 (81.0) |
29.0 (84.2) |
| Average high °C (°F) | 17.2 (63.0) |
17.1 (62.8) |
15.9 (60.6) |
14.2 (57.6) |
12.0 (53.6) |
10.1 (50.2) |
9.9 (49.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
12.2 (54.0) |
13.4 (56.1) |
14.6 (58.3) |
16.1 (61.0) |
13.6 (56.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 13.4 (56.1) |
13.3 (55.9) |
12.1 (53.8) |
10.6 (51.1) |
8.8 (47.8) |
6.7 (44.1) |
6.3 (43.3) |
7.0 (44.6) |
8.4 (47.1) |
9.5 (49.1) |
10.8 (51.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
9.9 (49.8) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 9.6 (49.3) |
9.4 (48.9) |
8.3 (46.9) |
7.0 (44.6) |
5.5 (41.9) |
3.4 (38.1) |
2.7 (36.9) |
3.5 (38.3) |
4.5 (40.1) |
5.7 (42.3) |
7.0 (44.6) |
8.6 (47.5) |
6.2 (43.2) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 1.0 (33.8) |
1.2 (34.2) |
0.7 (33.3) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
−2 (28) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
−6 (21) |
−3 (27) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
0.6 (33.1) |
−7.3 (18.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 133.9 (5.27) |
109.8 (4.32) |
128.2 (5.05) |
132.1 (5.20) |
139.9 (5.51) |
136.9 (5.39) |
113.3 (4.46) |
106.2 (4.18) |
120.9 (4.76) |
134.1 (5.28) |
132.4 (5.21) |
116.4 (4.58) |
1,489.6 (58.65) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 15.3 | 13.6 | 15.4 | 16.0 | 17.9 | 17.8 | 17.0 | 16.5 | 16.0 | 17.0 | 17.0 | 16.1 | 195.5 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 84.3 | 87.4 | 87.4 | 89.4 | 91.1 | 90.9 | 91.3 | 89.9 | 85.0 | 84.3 | 81.6 | 82.6 | 85.8 |
| Source: CliFlo[3] | |||||||||||||
References
- Scottish Place Names Around the World – Fife to Oban (from 'rampantscotland.com'. Accessed 11 October 2008.)
- "Stewart Island gets $5.6m cash boost". The New Zealand Herald. APN Holdings. NZPA. 12 July 2005. Retrieved 1 November 2011.
- "CliFlo – National Climate Database". NIWA. Retrieved 14 December 2015.