New Zealand Weather

Remember, the hills in New Zealand are green because of one thing - rain! Weather is changeable so we recommend a ' four seasons in one day ' approach when travelling. Be prepared with clothing for all conditions, regardless of the season.

Chasing the Sun

January and February are the warmest months of the year. The sunniest places are the Marlborough and Nelson regions, Hawke's Bay and Whakatane, in the Bay of Plenty.

The climate is mostly temperate, however subtropical conditions exist in the far north and on the Coromandel Peninsula. In summer, the average maximum temperature ranges between 18-30ºC. Because New Zealand is long and narrow, the temperature is normally about 5ºC higher in the far north of the country than the far south.

The UV rays in our sunlight are very strong during summer so we recommend you regularly apply sunscreen as well as wear sunglasses and a hat.

Colder Months

July is the coldest month. In winter, the average maximum. Temperature ranges between 8-15ºC excluding the uninhabited mountainous areas. The coldest winter conditions are experienced in Central Otago, the Mackenzie Plains of inland Canterbury, and on the central plateau in the North Island.

Although snow can always been seen on the South Island's Southern Alps it only falls on the low-lying areas occasionally in winter. In the North Island, snow falls on the central plateau mountains and several other ranges.

Visitor Information Centres often have long-range forecasts, which will give an indication of expected weather.

Rainfall

New Zealand's rainfall is high. The North Island has 120 wet days a year on average. However, rainfall is spread evenly over the year and a high proportion of sunshine hours are recorded in winter. The exception is in the north where most of the rain occurs in winter.

In the North Island, the driest areas are central and southern Hawkes Bay, the Wairarapa and Manawatu. In the South Island, rain fall varies dramatically. Some areas are the driest in the country while the Milford Sound receives 180 wet days a year!

Extreme weather conditions are rare in New Zealand. Severe hailstorms, thunderstorms and tornadoes are not common.

New Zealand daylight saving times begin on the first Sunday in October each year and end on the first Sunday in April the following year (April 6th this year). In mid-summer, the sun goes down between around 9pm and 10pm depending on the part of the country you are in.

You can check New Zealand weather conditions on metservice.com .

Weather information sourced from New Zealand Metservice.