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Story: Hawke’s Bay region

Dry country

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Dry country

Droughts and dry spells are common in Hawke’s Bay and usually occur in late spring and summer, between October and March. The lowlands are generally worst affected but hill country can also become very dry. Paddocks of short, brown grass growing in dry soil, as here next to State Highway 5 near Te Hāroto in 2009, can often be seen throughout the region.

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Te Ara - The Encyclopedia of New Zealand

by Kerryn Pollock

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How to cite this page

Kerryn Pollock, Hawke’s Bay region – Landscape and climate, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/23829/dry-country (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Kerryn Pollock, published 22 January 2010, updated 1 July 2015.