In summary: Winter way warmer
Ice cream, sunblock and salad dressing are all products one would associate with summer, but this year’s milder winter has meant a spike in their sales.
Parts of New Zealand reached their warmest ever winter temperatures, sending shoppers in search of some cooling respite.
Foodstuffs, the parent company of New World, Pak’n Save and Four Square, said the warmer weather was having a noticeable effect on food Kiwis were buying.
‘‘We have seen a slightly higher peak in ice cream sales nationwide which could be attributed to the warm weather,’’ spokeswoman Antoinette Laird said.
‘‘We have also seen a similar pattern in sales for dips, sun lotion and salad dressings.’’
Laird said the warmer weather also makes winter vegetables grow better, meaning hearty veges such as broccoli, brussels sprouts, onions, carrots and peas were more widely available.
But reassuringly, the Kiwi appetite for the classic casserole had not wavered. ‘‘Traditional meat cuts for slow cooking are tracking well ... the warmer weather doesn’t seem to have affected this.’’
At Giapo in central Auckland, owner Giapo Grazioli had noticed a marked increase in winter sales.
One of their most popular winter flavours was a Yorkshire puddingstyle cone, with ice cream inside.
The Cancer Society of New Zealand said an increase in sunscreen sales throughout the winter months was good news.
‘‘The fact that sunscreen sales are up is always a positive statistic,’’ a spokesman said. ‘‘People are using sunscreen to protect against exposure to UVA/UVB rays even on milder or winter days.’’
Climate specialists Niwa said winter was warmer and sunnier than usual, and Napier and Gisborne experienced record high temperatures. But meteorologist Ben Noll said Aucklanders would also remember the city’s wettest June hour on record.