Sunshine contest a close race

The Nelson region is a double winner in the sunshine stakes.

The sunshine recorders in Nelson city and Appleby clocked up some of the highest readings in the country for 2012.

While Whakatane clinched the title of sunshine capital for the year with 2602 hours, Nelson – with 2584 hours – and Appleby – with 2530 – shone with second and fourth places respectively.

Tekapo came third with 2562 hours, while Blenheim, which managed 2456 hours, was a distant fifth.

The National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (Niwa) has confirmed the placings, and says 2012 rated as a relatively sunny year.

Niwa climate scientist Georgina Griffiths said Nelson and Whakatane were the top spots for sunshine because they were much more sheltered from the prevailing southwesterlies New Zealand suffered from.

Nelson has magnanimously shared the sunshine capital title in alternate years with Whakatane.

Nelson won the title in 2009, and Whakatane in 2010.

Nelson regained the title in 2011, but is letting the Bay of Plenty town have a turn this year.

‘‘That’s very kind,’’ said Whakatane Mayor Tony Bonne, who admitted that he got a bit nervous towards the end of the year about whether his town would win.

‘‘We were way ahead at one stage, and I would email [Nelson Mayor] Aldo [Miccio], and he’d reply, ‘We haven’t finished yet’. Then as Nelson started catching up, I stopped emailing him.’’

Mr Bonne plans to email Mr Miccio again. ‘‘Aldo promised to come and visit Whakatane, but he hasn’t done so. I’ll have to put some pressure on him.

‘‘The biggest problem with Aldo is that he might then want to amalgamate Whakatane with Nelson.’’

Mr Bonne, who operates a dive business, confessed to being disappointed with the wind that has battered the Bay of Plenty, saying he had cancelled more trips this summer than usual.

He also owns a property in Nelson, so he has a foot in both camps. He will be in Nelson on Friday, hoping to collect the New Zealand Sunshine Cup.

Mr Miccio, who has been soaking up the sunshine in Australia, could not be reached for comment.

Ms Griffiths said Blenheim didn’t get more sunshine in 2012 because of easterlies that brought cloud there, as well as to parts of Central Otago and Northland.

Western areas of the country got the most sun because of five months of easterlies at the start of the year. The easterlies helped to make it the sunniest year on record for Te Kuiti, New Plymouth, Paraparaumu and Greymouth.