How to beat the heat: Thousands of ice creams and full pools

Staff at local ice cream parlours and swimming facilities were rushed off their feet as temperatures reached the mid 30s in Napier and Blenheim yesterday.

MetService meteorologist Andrew James confirmed Napier was tied in the race for hottest place in the country yesterday, hitting 35C about 3pm. Blenheim also made it to 35C.

Steve Manning, owner of Lick this Icecream Parlour in Napier said his workers were "flat out" due to the scorching weather.

"Everyone wanted to cool off and ice cream seemed to be the perfect treat."

The Marine Parade business rolled around 1000 ice creams yesterday, between five staff.

Lick this Icecream Parlour in Napier rolled around 1000 ice creams yesterday, between five staff. Photo / File

"We had a cruise ship in which made it even busier," Manning said.

"It was very very busy, but we are often very busy. Sunday is normally our busiest day of the week but for a Monday we were incredibly busy."

A spokeswoman from Ocean Spa in Napier said their pool facilities were also nearing capacity.

While Napier topped the thermometer yesterday, temperatures were slightly cooler across the rest of Hawke's Bay, with 32.2C recorded in Hastings and 30.5C in Wairoa.

St John Ambulance said it had not received any heat related callouts, and a spokesperson for Fire and Emergency NZ said no fires in Hawke's Bay could be directly linked to the weather.

Cooper Egan, 8, paddling into Westshore Beach, Napier, in hot sunny, summer weather. Photo/ Duncan Brown

People were clearly going to great lengths to get shade, Eastern District Police posted on Facebook saying they had a number of complaints about shade sails being stolen over summer.

They also went to a callout in Napier after children were left in a car, but did not respond to any other heat related callouts.

Blenheim also sweated the high temperatures with Paul Tredinnick, CEO for Marlborough Lines Stadium in Blenheim, reporting its aquatic centre was much busier than normal due to the hot weather.

"We were very busy but of course Marlborough has an extensive array of coastal and river options which people would have also taken advantage of," he said.

Delicia Ice Cream Cafe in Blenheim also said they were flat tack making ice creams.

"It was definitely busier than normal," a spokesman said. "We would have done double the amount of December and we expect it to continue - but our feedback has been fantastic."

Temperatures across New Zealand have skyrocketed since Sunday but it's only the start of the heatwave forecast to blast the country.

Monday is expected to be the hottest day of the week, but temperatures will remain in the high 20s, with overnight highs expected to be in the late teens or early 20s.

MetService meteorologist Tui McInnes said the hot weather is in part caused by last week's heatwave in Australia.

"What that's done is it's helped to warm the surrounding Tasman Sea, as well as warmed the air up itself."

He said as the air moves over the Tasman from Australia it stays warm, because it's moving over warm ocean.

"If it was over colder ocean the air would cool down a bit as it transports."

"It's not so much the sun that's impacting the temperatures, the air itself is quite warm."

As well as this, New Zealand has a high pressure system sitting over it.

"That brings calmer, settled conditions, which allow the sun to nudge those temperatures even higher."

He said the East Coast was particularly hot due to geography, as it is sheltered, flat, and at sea level, which means heat gets trapped.