According to the national weather broadcast agency MetService, New Zealand was sweating in scorching temperatures in the early days of the new year, with many places in the country's North Island setting the new high temperatures. Since the new year, the country's main metropolis, Auckland, and capital, Wellington, have been scorched by hot weather.

Many other cities saw temperatures of above 30 degrees Celsius, which was exceptionally high when compared to periods in decades past. While there are still two months left in the summer, the number of water-related deaths in the country has reached 27 as of Jan. 4, 2022, surpassing the 25 fatalities in each of the previous two summers.

Daniel Gerrard, Chief Executive of Water Safety New Zealand, said the country was on course for one of the worst summers on record for water fatalities. After a "alarming" number of mishaps and fatalities in the sea and interior waterways, lifeguards advised residents to exercise greater caution in the water.

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