Rangiora is the largest town and seat of the Waimakariri District, in Canterbury, New Zealand. It is north of Christchurch, and is part of the Christchurch metropolitan area. With an estimated population of Rangiora is the 30th largest urban area in New Zealand, and the fifth-largest in the Canterbury region (behind Christchurch, Timaru, Ashburton and Rolleston). Geography Rangiora is north of Christchurch's Cathedral Square or 20 minutes drive north of the Christchurch International Airport. It is close to the northern end of Canterbury's Inland Scenic Route (formerly State Highway 72), which skirts the inner edge of the Canterbury Plains, running southwest to Timaru via Oxford and Geraldine. The Ashley River / Rakahuri is just to the north of the town. Climate Rangiora has an oceanic climate, (Cfb according to the Köppen climate classification), with warm summers and mild winters. Rangiora has an average annual mean of , an average annual high of and an average annual low of . January, the warmest month, has a mean of and an average high of , while the coolest month, July, has a mean of and an average low of . Rangiora receives of precipitation annually over 83.0 precipitation days, which is quite dry compared to some other cities in New Zealand. The wettest month and the month with the most precipitation days is January, which receives of precipitation on average over 7.7 precipitation days (June has the same number of precipitation days but is slightly drier). The driest month and the month which receives the least precipitation days is February, which receives over 6.0 precipitation days. Rangiora receives 2118 hours of sunshine annually, with winter being less sunny compared to summer. November is the sunniest month, receiving 223.7 hours of sunshine on average, while June is the least sunniest month, receiving 124.6 hours of sunshine on average. The highest official temperature ever recorded in New Zealand was at Rangiora on 7 February 1973. Population Rangiora is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a medium urban area and covers . It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km2. Rangiora had a population of 17,841 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 2,772 people (18.4%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 5,676 people (46.7%) since the 2006 census. There were 6,900 households. There were 8,454 males and 9,399 females, giving a sex