Oban, New Zealand


Oban is the principal settlement on Stewart Island / Rakiura, the southernmost inhabited island of the New Zealand archipelago. Oban is located on Halfmoon Bay, on Paterson Inlet. It has aircraft connections with Invercargill and a ferry service to Bluff.
The settlement was named after Oban in Scotland,, due to the strong influence Scottish settlers had in the south of early colonial New Zealand.
According to the March 2001 New Zealand census, the island's permanent resident population was 387 at that time, a decrease of 30 since 1996. Approximately 80% of these live in Oban. Newer estimates put the population at around 400, and the island has received a moderate boost of commerce and some millions in government funding since tourism increased markedly after the opening of the Rakiura National Park.

Climate

The Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as a mid-latitude oceanic similar to the west coast of Scotland. Temperatures are mild to cool year-round, with average high temperatures ranging from in January, the warmest month, to in July, the coolest month. The strong oceanic influence here results in small temperature variations. The diurnal temperature variation is quite low, around yearlong, and seasonal temperature variation is about. Precipitation averages per year, and is evenly distributed across the year. Year-round, Oban lies in the direct path of mid-latitude cyclones arriving from the Southern Ocean, generally moving from southwest to northeast, or west to east. As such, the climate is predominantly windy, cloudy and rainy; clear days, and days with calm to minimal wind are rare.