climate data for any destination ● this site in Dutch ● our cookie policy ● contact

The climate of New Zealand
The largest part of New Zealand has a pleasant sea climate. Type Cf according to the Köppen climate classification. New Zealand has mild winters and warm summers. The most northern part of New Zealand is said to have a subtropical climate, but this is incorrect. The higher regions, especially those on the south island, have a land climate. The highest summits have a high mountain climate. On the highest mountaintops there is even (everlasting) snow. Summers and winters are much colder here. Several ski trails can be enjoyed during the winter months from June to early October. New Zealand is a sunny country. The amount of hours of sunshine is 2000 on average per year. Some areas even get 2300-2400 hours of sunshine per year. The hours of sunshine are quite evenly distributed over the year. During the summer there are more hours of sunshine than in winter, but on a relative basis there are minor differences.

New Zealand has a lot of differences in altitude and because of this there are also a lot of differences in precipitation. The western part of the south island has more precipitation than the eastern side. The reason for this are rain clouds that come from depressions over the Tasman Sea. Rain fall is spread out over the entire year. However during the summer (November to March) there is less rain than in winter. Because New Zealand is located in the southern hemisphere seasons are exactly opposite of ours. When autumn falls in New Zealand, spring will start in the Netherlands and the other way around. When you travel further south you notice that you go farther from the equator. As opposed to the northern hemisphere temperatures are lower the further south you move.

Climate information of places and areas in New Zealand
The climate information on this page is only brief. Specific information about weather and climate can be found on the climate pages per area or town. As for New Zealand the following climate information is available:

New Zealand’s summers
New Zealand’s summers are pleasantly warm with temperatures rarely too high. In the mountains temperatures are lower, which is pleasant when the coastal areas get too warm/sultry. During the daytime temperatures will be between 21 degrees Celsius to 28 degrees Celsius throughout the summer with local deviations. In the eastern part temperatures may rise as high as or even over 30 degrees Celsius. Temperatures will not get as high as 40 degrees Celsius as they can be in the neighboring country of Australia. During the summer months there can be large differences in temperature and weather within a small distance. While the coastal areas may have pleasant sunny weather about 100 kilometers inland temperatures can be 10-15 degrees Celsius cooler. Especially in the higher regions and during rain fall. This mostly happens on the western side of the mountains and in the northern parts of the islands.

Winter
New Zealand’s winter months vary from mild and sunny to cold and wintry in New Zealand’s highest regions. During the winter the snow-line lies at about 500-600 meters. Snow fall in the lower regions of the south island is not uncommon. Especially the lower parts of the eastern side of the south island have a few snowy days a year. The large amounts of snow that can fall in little time in the higher regions can lead to serious inconvenience. Everlasting snow can be found from 2000 meters up on the south island and from 2500 meters up on the north island. The white layer that can be found here hardly melts during the summer so its landscape is always white.

Unpredictable and variable
New Zealand’s weather can be very unpredictable and variable. Inlands weather may change several times a day. This is where the phrase ‘Four seasons in one day” comes from. Weather is variable throughout the year especially inland and in the western areas. It is quite possible that one day is pleasant and sunny with temperatures of 24 degrees Celsius and the next day temperatures hardly reach a temperature of 12 degrees Celsius with large amounts of rain, hail and wind. Whoever travels to New Zealand should take all of the weather conditions into account. If you plan to go backpacking in New Zealand you should take warm clothes as well as summer clothes. During spring and autumn weather is the most unpredictable. During a round trip a difference in temperature of 30 degrees Celsius is not uncommon.

Hurricanes
Hurricanes are very rare in New Zealand. The Islands are too far south in relation to the route of hurricanes and tropical depressions. Sometimes a hurricane can wander off in the direction of New Zealand. The northern part is the area that is most likely to get hit then. Inconvenience is often limited to gale force winds. Hurricanes are likely to have lost most of their power before they even reach New Zealand.

Climate figures
The figures below are based on long term weather and climate records and are an average for New Zealand. Note that local deviations may occur. The higher regions are colder during the winter. Temperatures on the South Island are lower on average than those on the North Island. The western part of the South Island and the central part of the North Island which is higher in altitude are wetter than climate figures below show.

	average  maximum temperature (°C)	average minimum temperature (°C)	average hours of sunshine per day	average days with precipitation per month	average mm precipitation per month	average sea temperature (°C)
January	22	14	8	9		18
February	23	14	8	8		19
March	21	12	6	11		19
April	18	10	6	11		18
May	16	7	5	12		16
June	14	5	4	14		14
July	13	3	4	15		13
August	14	4	5	15		13
September	15	7	6	14		13
October	17	9	7	13		14
November	19	11	7	12		15
December	21	13	8	12		17
= 0-5 mm ● = 6-30 mm ● = 31-60 mm ● = 61-100 mm ● = 101-200 mm ● = over 200 mm = 0-0.2 inches ● = 0.2-1.2 inches ● = 1.2-2.4 inches ● = 2.5-4 inches ● = 4.1-8 inches ● = over 8 inches

More climate information
Climate tables are useful but they don’t give an overall picture of the climate and possible weather conditions during a period of time. How high the chances are of hot or cold weather or hurricanes can often not be found in these tables. This is why we offer extra climate information per month. The information below is an average for New Zealand, but it should be noted that local deviations may occur. Chances of wintry weather are higher in the mountains and on the coast close to nil, especially on the North Island. The UV index is slightly lower in the south. Chances of warm weather are slightly lower as well

	chance of (very) hot weather	chance of (very) cool weather	chance of long-term precipitation	chance of hurricanes (cyclones)	chance of sunny days	UV-index
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
click here for the explanation of the symbols

Disclaimer
The information at this site was carefully composed from climate data collected by meteorological services, meteorological offices, climate experts and other sources. “More climate info” is based on statistics, climate data and personal experience. No rights can be derived from this site. Weather has no memory and gives no guaranties. Nothing is as changeable and unpredictable as the weather. The authors of this site feel in no way responsible for any damages caused by misinterpretation or other circumstances that may influence your holiday or trip to a certain destination. We provide information, it’s up to the reader to use it to it’s benefit.