1.1 Marine forecasts (Surfing & Boating)

1.2 Forecast maps

The forecast maps are a great way of viewing the weather forecasts for New Zealand. Although it is harder to see the exact data for locations within New Zealand, it is very easy to see the weather patterns passing over New Zealand, and the likeliness of the weather in the next 7 days.

The satellite option displays the current and previous days real view of the cloud cover. Where as the other options such as rain and wind are forecasts.

These forecasts maps may seem quite difficult to read to begin with (if you are not use to them), but after checking them a few times you might find them extremely useful. For instance, the rain forecast map is a great way to see if there is rain passing over New Zealand and if it will rain in your location. The other advantage about these maps is that by using the google map functionality you can view the weather around the world. You could check the air temperatures or the quality of the surf for your holidays.

1.3 Ratings

The ratings are the green, orange and red icons with a number between 1 and 10. Only some of the activities have ratings. The ratings are a great way of getting an idea of how good the weather is for that activity at a glance. There is no need to anaylse all the different weather factors, especially when checking locations on the map.

If an activity has ratings then you can check out the rating information for that activity by looking at the section below the map. This explains how that particular activity is rated e.g weather variables used.

2.1 How do I use and navigate the map?

The map used is generated by Google and has the same functionality as Google Maps. Google Map navigation user guide.

2.2 Saving your locations

Its possible to bookmark your locations for any activity. If you look at the top of the web page, you will see a "My Weather" (for WeatherMap) or "My Swell" (for SwellMap) menu option. This will hold all your bookmarked locations. When you want to bookmark a weather site from any activity, look for the icon on a detailed forecast. This will then add your location to the "My Weather"/"My Swell" menu.

If you just want to remove a bookmark, click on the relevant icon in the "My Weather"/"My Swell" menu. These locations are stored as cookies in your browser. So if you delete all your cookies you will loose the My Weather/My Swell locations you have added.

3.1 What is WeatherMap and SwellMap about?

WeatherMap displays the forecast weather for New Zealand in the next 7 days, and SwellMap provides marine forecasts for various areas of the world for the next 7 days. You can view the weather forecast for hundreds of locations across New Zealand. Apart from general weather, you can view the weather relevant to specific activities. For example a surfer will be keen to know the swell height, a farmer will want to know the pressure, and a gardener might be interested in soil moisture.

SwellMap specialises in marine forecasts, where as WeatherMap provides forecasts for general weather, marine activities, and various other activities.

3.2 Detailed forecasts

Check out the detailed forecasts by clicking on a location by selecting a country/region and clicking on a location name, or by clicking on an icon in the map. This is where you view a detailed weather forecast for the next 7 days. You have the option of viewing the forecast in a graph format or a table format depending on your preference. If you are use to using the old version of SwellMap, for all SwellMap locations in New Zealand there is also an "Old graphs" tab to view the old style graphs. The "Extra info" tab also provides useful information about the location.

The graphs are great for a quick overview. Immediately you can see what the rain and other weather factors will be like. The table view is also great if you dont like graphs, or a more concise view of the weather data for a particular time.

3.3 Saving your locations

Saving your locations as described in this section