Wellingtonians, Aucklanders hit the beach to cool off in above usual temperatures

Wellington locals are heading to beaches around the region to cool off in the unusually hot weather.

Most suburbs will peak at temperatures above 25 degrees and a heat alert has been issued for the Hutt Valley, with both Upper and Lower Hutt expected to reach 28 degrees.

While some may scoff at the numbers, MetService explains the temperatures are very hot for these locations.

"What is considered extremely hot for a Cantabrian is very different to what a Southlander will deem hot."

At Freyberg Beach in the central city, three friends sought shelter from the blazing sun under the shade of a tree. They said the weather was too good not to make the most of.

"I feel like it's usually so windy here. I've just got back from Christchurch and Christchurch is never windy," Amy Hartwell said.

"We were like ... why not? I think it's one of the most beautiful mornings I've ever seen at Oriental, it's so still."

Olivia Ferguson said the water was unusually pleasant.

"It was actually delightful, it was a little bit fresh but I think it was a really nice contrast to the heat so it was good," she said.

"Really good morning for it, not normally a morning swimmer but Wellington's putting on a show today so it's quite nice.

"It's been surprisingly warm in Oriental Bay. Normally I'm like 'ugh Oriental', but today it's a winner ... I feel like it's going to pack out this afternoon."

Iris Garstang works at a nearby gelato kiosk - she popped by to visit her friends during a break and said the beach seemed busier than usual.

"We'll be really busy. On a weekday we're not normally busy but because it's over the holiday, there's so many kids out. It's really nice and everyone's happy because it's nice weather."

The gelato store had been busy on and off over the summer so far, which Garstang put down to patchy weather.

"Our summer feels like it hasn't really come yet, but it does feel like it this week, it's so hot now."

Across the harbour, on the Petone foreshore, twins Paige and Sammy Townsley were about to go for a dip in the sea when approached by RNZ.

As the 11-year-olds zipped up their wetsuits, Sammy said the hot weather was no excuse for not being sun-smart.

"I don't really want to get sunburnt, and the sea might be cold as well," she said.

"Last summer [there was a] cyclone, I prefer this by far ... it's very, very, very hot."

'Drinking water is the best'

A few streets away, other Wellingtonians are heeding advice to stay hydrated.

At an artesian spring on Petone's Buick Street, Tere Rere was filling up half a dozen 20-litre containers with water for her family.

The Porirua resident said it was more than she usually collected, but she wanted to make sure there was enough water to stay cool during the heat.

"We have to get more water because we encourage everyone to drink water [rather] than fizzy drink," she said.

"Drinking water is the best, and it's healthy for you."

Rere was expecting long queues at the spring, but was glad to see a steady stream of a few people at a time instead.

Meanwhile, her family was cooling off with a swim at Days Bay beach in nearby Eastbourne, she said.

On the other side of the fountain, Peter Parkes was filling up two 20-litre containers.

The Karori resident did not come to the fountain often, maybe three times a year, but said it would likely go quicker with the hot weather.

"It's nice and warm, probably the first hot day this year. It would be nice to have a few more of them and we'll feel as though we've had a summer," he said.

"This is a hot day for Wellington, a hot-ish day. If you have about three or four of these days during the summertime it's all you can probably expect - but we may be expecting more with climate change."

Aucklanders soak up the sun

Popular Auckland beaches were also packed as sunshine hit the city of sails.

Hundreds of tourists and locals flocked to Mission Bay to soak in the sun and splash in the water.

Cheryl, a local, said it was lovely to finally get some heat.

"It's so nice to come down here, made our own lunch, sitting down here, and its lovely - and that breeze, really really nice."

A family visiting from Bangkok said they had extended their stay in Auckland because of the fantastic weather and had not left Mission Bay.

"We haven't even left this area because we don't even want to get in the car, we've just stayed literally from this end to that end," Dana said.

Hamish, visiting from Australia, said it was a fantastic end to his holiday.

Meanwhile another local, Barry, was making the most of the sunshine by using a metal detector along the shore.

"It's great, and I've retired last week, ever better isn't it? It's like all my weeks are weekends. "

He said he would make use of the sun by getting some exercise using the metal detector and chatting to people on the beach.

Barry said he was unfortunately coming across mostly bottlecaps so far.