January 2 was expected to be a partly cloudy day, with a few showers but not much rain and a 21C high would continue on January 3, with a bit of wind, he said.
James said average temperatures across the Bay of Plenty region including Rotorua would be "pretty bang on" in the coming few days for this time of year.
He urged people to ensure they slapped on plenty of sunscreen and wore a hat to protect themselves from the strong UV rays.
Rotorua holidaymakers Kapiti's Jackie and Dan Monastram arrived at the Blue Lake TOP 10 Holiday Park on Sunday afternoon.
Jackie said they had to hustle to get the tents up as it had just started raining.
"We knew the storm was coming through and hustled to the pub where we sat out the worst of it. Luckily none of us had any leaks, but it was really cold overnight."
She said this was their first time camping at Blue Lake TOP 10 Holiday Park, and they are staying there for seven days.
"It's looking okay until the 1st, so we are hoping that the long-term forecast isn't right. But we are pretty well set up, you know the weather in New Zealand is really changeable.
"We just don't want to be packing up in rain."
After their holiday in Rotorua, they will be moving on to camping in Ōhope.
