Seasons and Climate

The Kiwi band Crowded House once wrote a song about New Zealand called ‘Four Seasons in One Day’, and you’ll see how musically true it is when you get here. It’s not unusual for the weather to change from warm and windy to a torrential downpour and back to sunny skies in one day – or even twice in a day!

The good news: most of New Zealand receives over 2000 hours of sunshine per year, and warmer regions such as the Hawke’s Bay can see up to 2350 hours per year. Make sure you put on sunscreen when you’re outside – with little air pollution, the UV rays are strong and you’ll be surprised how fast you can get sunburnt.

The range of temperatures between winter and summer in New Zealand is less extreme than many countries. It’s a great place for all kinds of outdoor sports, year round. Many New Zealanders boast a day of snowboarding at one of our many ski mountains before heading home for a surf or windsail.

Southern Hemisphere seasons

New Zealand has opposite seasons to the Northern Hemisphere, with our summer falling at the end of year in December. So try not to be too confused at Christmas when you find yourself at the beach swimming!

• Winter: June, July, August
• Spring: September, October, November
• Summer: December, January, February
• Autumn: March, April, May

Temperature ranges

While there’s not a huge temperature variation between seasons in New Zealand, we do look forward to summer barbeques and swims for the warmer months, generally November to April. The average maximum temperature during summer ranges between 20-30^_OC (68-86^_OF).

And in winter, the average maximum temperature ranges between 10-15^_OC (50-59^_OF).The far north of New Zealand has an average temperature of 15^_OC (59^_OF), and is the warmest part of the country throughout the year. In summer it’s not unusual for the temperature to stay between the mid-20s to early 30s^_OC (77-90^_OF).

In general, the further south in New Zealand you go the colder it is. Areas in Southernmost New Zealand experience an average temperature of 10^_OC (50^_OF), but in winter it can get as cold as -10^_OC(14^_OF). It’s no wonder there are so many amazing ski fields down south.

For a chart of season and location-dependent temperatures, check out this temperature chart.
You can check on current weather conditions in New Zealand on the Met Service website.

Regional climate variations

The weather in New Zealand varies greatly throughout the country. While it could be sunny and warm on the East Coast, it could be pouring with rain on the West Coast – even though it’s such a small country, and the distance is merely 365 km. This is partly due to the chain of mountains running the length of the country, which tends to separate the weather conditions East-West rather than just North-South.

As you travel from the South Island to the Upper North Island by car, note how the landscape changes along the way – you’ll be amazed at the difference in types of trees, plants and flowers, particularly as you get into the subtropical climate of the North Island.

Some general trends:

 Upper North Island

• The warmest region in New Zealand, the Upper North Island experiences subtropical weather during the summer months.
• The region experiences more rain during the winter months than any other time of the year.

Mid North Island

• While only hours away from the warm areas of the North, this region experiences ample snowfall during the winter months.

Lower North Island

• Moderate temperatures, but receives some of the most sunshine hours in the country per year.
• Wellington, located at the bottom of the North Island, is also known as Windy Wellington.

Upper South Island

• Similar sunny climate to the lower North Island, with many sunshine hours in areas such as Nelson. Snowfall is common amongst the mountains in the region.

Lower South Island

• Generally experiences colder temperatures year-round. However, the low rainfall during the winter makes the Lower South Island a great place to explore glaciers and snow capped mountains.

To find out more about our diverse climate, visit the New Zealand Met service website.