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WHEN TO GO |
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With over a thousand kilometres of ocean in every direction, it
comes as no surprise that New Zealand has a maritime climate: warm
through the southern summer months of December to March and never truly
cold, even in winter.
Weather patterns are strongly affected by the prevailing westerlies,
which suck up moisture from the Tasman Sea and dump it on the western
side of both islands. The South Island gets the lion's share, with the
West Coast and Fiordland ranking among the world's wettest places. The
mountain ranges running the length of both islands cast long rain
shadows over the eastern lands, making them considerably drier, though
the south is a few degrees cooler than elsewhere, and sub-tropical
Auckland and Northland are appreciably more humid. In the North Island,
warm, damp summers fade almost imperceptibly into cool, wet winters, but
the further south you go the more the year divides into four distinct
seasons.
Such regional variation makes it viable to visit at any time of year,
provided you pick your destinations. The summer months are the most
popular and you'll find everything open, though often packed with
holidaying Kiwis from Christmas to the end of January. Accommodation at
this time is at a premium. In general, you're better off joining the
bulk of foreign visitors during the shoulder seasons - October to
Christmas and February to April or May - when sights and attractions can
be a shade quieter, and rooms easier to come by. Winter (June-Sept) is
the wettest, coldest and consequently least popular time, though
Northland can still be relatively balmy. The switch to prevailing
southerly winds tends to bring periods of crisp, dry and cloudless
weather to the West Coast and heavy snowfalls to the fine, under-utilized
and plentiful skiing pistes of the Southern Alps and Central North
Island.
Climate chart
|
Jan |
Feb |
March
|
April
|
May |
June |
July |
Aug |
Sept |
Oct |
Nov |
Dec |
|
Auckland
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
av. max. temp. (°C)
|
23 |
23 |
22 |
19 |
17 |
14 |
13 |
14 |
16 |
17 |
19 |
21 |
|
av. min. temp. (°C)
|
16 |
16 |
15 |
13 |
11 |
9 |
8 |
8 |
9 |
11 |
12 |
14 |
|
av. rainfall (mm)
|
79 |
94 |
81 |
97 |
17 |
137 |
145 |
117 |
102 |
102 |
89 |
79 |
|
Napier
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
av. max. temp. (°C)
|
24 |
23 |
22 |
19 |
17 |
14 |
13 |
14 |
17 |
19 |
21 |
23 |
|
av. min. temp. (°C)
|
14 |
14 |
13 |
10 |
8 |
5 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
9 |
11 |
13 |
|
av. rainfall (mm)
|
74 |
76 |
74 |
76 |
89 |
86 |
102 |
84 |
56 |
56 |
61 |
58 |
|
Wellington
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
av. max. temp. (°C)
|
21 |
21 |
19 |
17 |
14 |
13 |
12 |
12 |
14 |
16 |
17 |
19 |
|
av. min. temp. (°C)
|
13 |
13 |
12 |
11 |
8 |
7 |
6 |
6 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
12 |
|
av. rainfall (mm)
|
81 |
81 |
81 |
97 |
117 |
117 |
137 |
117 |
97 |
102 |
89 |
89 |
|
Christchurch
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
av. max. temp. (°C)
|
21 |
21 |
19 |
17 |
13 |
11 |
10 |
11 |
14 |
17 |
19 |
21 |
|
av. min. temp. (°C)
|
12 |
12 |
10 |
7 |
4 |
2 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
7 |
8 |
11 |
|
av. rainfall (mm)
|
56 |
43 |
48 |
48 |
66 |
66 |
69 |
48 |
46 |
43 |
48 |
56 |
|
Hokitika
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
av. max. temp. (°C)
|
19 |
19 |
18 |
16 |
14 |
12 |
12 |
12 |
13 |
15 |
16 |
18 |
|
av. min. temp. (°C)
|
12 |
12 |
11 |
8 |
6 |
3 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
8 |
9 |
11 |
|
av. rainfall (mm)
|
262 |
191 |
239 |
236 |
244 |
231 |
218 |
239 |
226 |
292 |
267 |
262 |
|
Queenstown
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
av. max. temp. (°C)
|
21 |
21 |
20 |
7 |
1 |
9 |
9 |
11 |
14 |
18 |
19 |
20 |
|
av. min. temp. (°C)
|
10 |
10 |
9 |
7 |
3 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
3 |
5 |
7 |
10 |
|
av. rainfall (mm)
|
79 |
72 |
74 |
72 |
64 |
58 |
59 |
63 |
66 |
77 |
64 |
62 |
|
Dunedin
|
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|
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|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
av. max. temp. (°C)
|
19 |
19 |
17 |
15 |
12 |
9 |
9 |
11 |
13 |
15 |
17 |
18 |
|
av. min. temp. (°C)
|
10 |
10 |
9 |
7 |
5 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
9 |
|
av. rainfall (mm)
|
86 |
71 |
76 |
71 |
81 |
81 |
79 |
76 |
69 |
76 |
81 |
89 |
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