New Zealand Weather Information
General
We're not called downunder without reason! Our coldest month is July, and our warmest is in January; our seasons opposite to those in the Northern Hemisphere. Average temperatures are around 15C (60F) in the upper North Island, and around 10C (50F) near the bottom of the South Island. The climate is fairly mild, without the extremes experienced in many other countries. In fact, New zealand doesn't tend to have temperatures over 35C (100F) or under -10C (14F). It tends to snow only in the mountains in the North Island, and mainly in the Southern Alps in the South Island, although it has been known to snow on some of the cities on the East Coast of the South Island from time to time.
Maximum & Minimum
| City | Maximum | Minimum | ||
| Celsius | Farenheit | Celsius | Farenheit | |
| Kaitaia | 24 | 78 | 8 | 46 |
| Whangarei | 25 | 80 | 7 | 44 |
| Auckland | 23 | 76 | 8 | 46 |
| Tauranga | 24 | 78 | 5 | 40 |
| Hamilton | 24 | 78 | 3 | 36 |
| Gisborne | 25 | 80 | 4 | 38 |
| Napier | 24 | 78 | 5 | 40 |
| New Plymouth | 21 | 72 | 5 | 40 |
| Palmerston North | 22 | 74 | 4 | 38 |
| Wellington | 20 | 70 | 6 | 44 |
| Nelson | 22 | 74 | 1 | 32 |
| Blenheim | 24 | 78 | 2 | 34 |
| Hokitika | 19 | 68 | 3 | 36 |
| Mt Cook | 19 | 68 | -2 | 28 |
| Christchurch | 22 | 74 | 1 | 32 |
| Timaru | 21 | 72 | 1 | 32 |
| Milford Sound | 18 | 66 | 1 | 32 |
| Alexandra | 23 | 76 | -2 | 28 |
| Dunedin | 19 | 68 | 3 | 36 |
| Invercargill | 18 | 66 | 1 | 32 |
Sunshine!
The sunniest place in New Zealand is Nelson, in fact both Nelson and Blenheim (near the top of the South Island) vie for top sunshine honours! Regionally, Wellington was much sunnier in 1997 than it usually is, recording 2,168 hours of sunshine. Auckland (known for being a little greyer) recorded around its average, 2,053 hours. Christchurch was sunnier than Auckland, getting 2,156 hours of sunshine in 1997, and Dunedin sadly, came last, recording only 1,643 hours of sunshine.
What do I wear?
One of the most common questions asked before planning a trip is, naturally, what should I bring to wear?! We've put together this small guide to help your planning:
| Region | Summer (Dec-Feb) | Autumn (Mar-May) | Winter (Jun-Aug) | Spring (Sep-Nov) |
| Around Auckland | sunscreen, beachwear, sandals, mosquito repellent, light cover | Rain jacket, at least one warm jersey/sweater | lots of pullovers/sweaters, warm coat, rainwear | cardigan/sweater, umbrella |
| Around Wellington | sunscreen, hat, light clothes | rainwear, light sweater, light coat | rainwear, warm coat, gloves, fairly warm sweaters | rainwear (don't bring an umbrella, the wellington winds will eat it! |
| Around Christchurch | sunscreen, light cover, light clothes | lots of warm sweaters, heavy jacket | lots of very warm sweaters, thick coat, hat, gloves | light jacket, rainwear |
| Around Dunedin | sunscreen, light clothes | light coat | umbrella, rainwear, sweaters | light clothes, umbrella, light sweater |
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