If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand, no doubt you will want to know what the weather
is going to be like. After all, there are so many amazing outdoors adventures to experience,
so you’re going to want to know when is the best time to go to New Zealand. With that
in mind, we’re going to go through the typical New Zealand climate so you can plan the trip
of a lifetime. Let’s do this! Hey guys, we’re Robin and Laura the team
behind BackpackerGuide.NZ helping you plan an epic trip in New Zealand!
In this video, we’re going to be going through the typical New Zealand climate and answer
the question: What is the weather like in New Zealand? New Zealand’s climate is determined
by three main things: the ocean, mountains and its prevailing winds. The weather is a
huge importance to both locals and visitors so we thought it would be a good idea to make
this video so you know what New Zealand weather to expect, and that way, you’ll be able
to pack the right clothes for the weather. Or you can check out our packing list video
linked up in the description and in the cards. Plus, stick around until the end of this video
where we’ll be giving you the best seasons to come travelling in New Zealand.
But before we dive into this video, make sure you hit the subscribe button if want to see
more videos about New Zealand just like this one. We release New Zealand travel tips videos
every single week, so you don’t want to miss out!
And with that, let’s jump into the video!
First up, what are the seasons in New Zealand? New Zealand has four distinct seasons: summer,
autumn, winter and spring. However, these seasons are experienced in different months
to what is experienced in the Northern Hemisphere. Summer is in December, January and February,
Autumn is March, April and May, Winter is in June, July and August,
and Spring is in September, October and November. New Zealanders typically view the seasons
as starting on the first day of the season’s month and ending on the final day of the season’s
month. For example, summer begins on December 1st and ends on February 28th or 29th.
Check out the BackpackerGuide.NZ article linked up in the description for information on what
the New Zealand climate and weather is like season by season.
Ok, what is the temperature like in New Zealand? Because New Zealand lies south of the Equator,
the temperature increases the further north you go and decreases the further south you
go. You can feel a real difference in temperature between the North Island and South Island,
with the mean annual temperature in the North Island being around 16ºC, that’s 61ºF,
and the South Island mean annual temperature being 10ºC or 50ºF.
The warmest months are December, January and February. During this time, the highest temperatures
experiences are between 20-30ºC, which is 68-86ºF. And the coldest months are June,
July and August with the highest temperatures being 10-15ºC or 50-59ºF during this time.
Location plays a huge factor on the temperature in New Zealand. For instance, the Far North
of the North Island has a subtropical climate with the highest temperatures in the country.
Inland in the South Island, the alpine landscape means there’s snow on many mountaintops
year-round and temperatures as low as -10ºC or -50ºF in winter.
When planning your trip to New Zealand, take into consideration the month and the locations
you will be visiting to get a better representation of what temperatures you will experience.
We’ll link to all our articles of the New Zealand weather month-by-month in the description,
which will give you average temperatures for all the different areas of New Zealand for
each month.
Next up, how much does it in New Zealand? Rainfall can be in the forecast all year round
in New Zealand due to its maritime climate. Most areas of New Zealand receive between
600 and 1,600mm of rain throughout the year. However, some areas of New Zealand are much
wetter than others. We’re looking at you West Coast!
On the North Island, more rainfall is experienced through winter than in summer. In the South
Island, there’s more rainfall in summer than in winter. The South Island experiences
a huge difference in rainfall weather patterns due to Southern Alps, which is a mountain
range running right down the middle of the island. The Southern Alps acts as a barrier
for the westerly prevailing winds, which in turn, brings the rain. For this reason, the
West Coast of the South Island receives considerably more rain compared to the east coast of the
South Island. That’s all your areas like Milford Sound, Hokitika and Franz Josef.
While rainfall is frequent in New Zealand, usually they are only short showers due to
the coastal winds moving weather on quickly. New Zealander’s often describe New Zealand
as having “four seasons in a day” because of the way the weather is often quickly changing.
Now, what about snow in New Zealand? Snow falls mainly in the high altitudes of
mountainous areas of New Zealand, such as the Southern Alps and the mountains of the
Fiordland National Park in the South Island. Or on the North Island, snow mainly falls
on the Central North Island volcanoes and Mt Taranaki.
As a traveler, you might experience snow in winter when travelling to the New Zealand
ski fields, when doing one of the Great Walks or other mountain hiking trails in winter,
or when driving through one of the mountain pass roads in winter, like Arthur’s Pass
or Lindis Pass. Because the rest of the country is coastal,
it’s uncommon to experience snow elsewhere. However, the east side of the country is more
likely to experience snow than the west in extreme conditions. Still, that’s pretty
rare. Frosts can occur anywhere in New Zealand throughout
winter. Usually frost happens during cold nights with clear skies and no wind.
Next up, how sunny is it in New Zealand? Just as frequently as having rain, New Zealand
can just as frequently experience clear weather and sunshine. The majority of New Zealand
has a high number of sunshine hours. Areas that are sheltered by the prevailing westerly
winds receive annual sunshine hours of more than 2,250, such as Northland, the Bay of
Plenty, Gisborne, Hawke’s Bay, Nelson, Tasman and Malborough.
New Zealand’s three largest cities, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch also receive high
sunshine hours of around 2,000 hours. The least amount of sunshine is experienced in
the Southland region and the Southern Alps with annual sunshine hours fewer than 1,500.
If you’re coming to New Zealand to enjoy the sun, guys, we have to warn you about the
high UV radiation levels, especially between September and April. New Zealand receives
40% higher UV radiation than countries at similar latitudes in the Northern Hemisphere.
Wearing high factor sunscreen is a must to protect the skin from sunburn, especially
between 10am and 4pm during those months between September and April, and when going to high
altitudes and where there is snow during winter. Finally, what about severe weather in New
Zealand? New Zealand is a country that’s relatively
safe from extreme weather scenarios. Once or twice a year, storms may pass through the
country bringing more rain, wind or snow with it. The main extreme weather that could affect
New Zealand is cyclones. However, cyclones that make a large impact
on the country happen infrequently, as the New Zealand MetService puts it: “On average,
about 10 tropical cyclones form in the South Pacific tropics between November and April
each year, and about one of those will affect New Zealand as an ex-tropical cyclone most
commonly in February or March.” All in all, don’t let the fear of extreme weather events
affect your decision on coming to New Zealand. So that’s it for our guide to the New Zealand
weather and climate, but as promised, we’ll now give you the best seasons to travel in
New Zealand. When planning when would be the best time
to go travelling in New Zealand, the “off season” and “shoulder seasons” are well
worth considering. The off-season is during New Zealand’s winter season when the country
has far less tourists except in the places where there is a ski season. The peak season
is in summer when New Zealand blows up with tourists both international tourists and domestic
tourists that are travelling for the New Zealand summer holidays. The shoulder seasons are
during spring and autumn, between the off-season and peak season. Personally, we think the
shoulder seasons are the best time to take a trip to New Zealand.
So just as a recap: the peak season in New Zealand is between December and the beginning
of March, the shoulder seasons are between March and
June and between September and November, and the off-season is between June and August.
For more reasons to consider travelling in the shoulder and off-season, check out the
article that we’ve linked to in the description. Also, check in the description for a full
comparison of travelling in New Zealand throughout the year in an article called When is the
Best Time to Go Backpacking in New Zealand? Alright guys, we hope you found this video
useful but we have one question to ask you before you leave: do you want us to make videos
on what the weather is like in New Zealand for each month of the year? For instance,
the New Zealand weather in November, the New Zealand weather in December and so on? Let
us know what you think in the comments below! Plus, give this video a cheeky like if you
found it useful! Thanks for watching, team and until next time,
keep exploring!