What to wear in New Zealand: Packing for every season
Here’s what to pack for New Zealand, if you want to blend in with the locals.
I am most often seen in a Patagonia fleece and some kind of yoga leggings.
Disclosure: This article includes affiliate links, which means I may make a small commission if you make a purchase via those links (at no extra cost to you!).
If there’s one piece of advice I can give you for packing for your New Zealand trip, it’s this: Wear layers.
Layers are the key to staying warm, cooling off, or fending off the wind, rain, sun or whatever else New Zealand decides to throw at you.
We have a saying in Auckland — if you don’t like the weather, just wait an hour.
New Zealand is famous for having four seasons in a day, so it helps to be prepared. I have hiked through snow in December (allegedly summer) and walked around in a t-shirt in Aoraki/Mount Cook in winter.
Beyond that, my second best advice is to pack whatever you find most comfortable. We’re a casual nation and I am most often in hiking or outdoor clothes. You will rarely need to dress up; one nice outfit is enough for a whole trip.
Quick tips for your New Zealand packing list
Casual, comfortable clothes are the typical attire in New Zealand. Choose practical outfits and don’t worry about looking fancy.
New Zealand weather changes often, so packing layers is key.
Sun protection is essential, so make sure you have a hat, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirt and sunscreen.
You can drink tap water everywhere in New Zealand, so make sure you pack a reusable drink bottle. Before I lost it, I loved my Dopper drink bottle!
What I packed for a three week trip from Auckland to Queenstown
My exact packing lists probably aren’t much use if you’re visiting New Zealand from overseas, because I’m often travelling in my car for many weeks at a time. And I’m a chronic overpacker.
On top of that I’m usually packing for multi-day hikes and other backcountry trips, which isn’t everyone’s cup of tea.
But, I’m here to be helpful, so I thought I would share what I packed for a three week trip from Auckland to Queenstown. In March 2025 I travelled with Great Journeys on a train tour, so had to make everything fit into one large and one small backpack (most people had suitcases, I only had a backpack because I wanted to hike after the tour concluded).
For that trip we were staying in hotels and generally travelling quite comfortably — none of my usual sleep-in-my-car style of travel.
This is what I took with me, which is more or less what I would always take on a summer trip in New Zealand.
Clothes
A couple of t shirts — try and choose shirts with high necks (no V necks) and longer sleeves, for sun coverage. I avoid tank tops because the sun is strong here and I burn easily, but that’s a personal preference.
One pair of jeans.
A nice top you can wear with your jeans. Even nice restaurants in Auckland are fine with jeans and a nice top.
One pair of denim shorts.
One pair of bike shorts. I love my Lululemon align shorts — they are comfy for hiking in, plus are cute enough to wear around town, or sleep in if you need to.
Yoga leggings or trackpants.
A light rainjacket. Rain isn’t as common in the North Island in summer, but there’s a good chance you’ll get wet weather in the South. You can also use it as a windproof layer for extra warmth on windy days or on higher altitude hikes. I love my Rab Kinetic 2.0 because it’s so lightweight.
Sun hat. Bucket hats are very on trend in New Zealand.
A cosy fleece. You’ll want one jumper that is nice and snuggly, whether that is a good quality wool jumper or a fleece. I have a Patagonia fleece that I wear almost constantly when van lifing around New Zealand and having something soft and reliably warm is a lifesaver when you need some comfort.
Swimwear. I have a long-sleeved rash shirt as well as a one piece swimsuit, so I can stay in the water for longer without worrying about burning.
A really good jacket. Puffer jackets are great for insulation. You’ll want something really warm - I love my Mons Royale merino puffer jacket.
Swimwear (for swimming in summer and hot pools in winter)
Tech
My photo and tech collection keeps growing, so this makes up for an embarrassing amount of space in my carry on backpack.
Peak Designs tech pouch, which I have in an attempt to keep my many, many cables organised
A universal adapter — I use one even though I am a New Zealander, because I bought my laptop in the UK and still have the UK plug attached. I told you I am inefficient.
My laptop, an 11” Mactop Air
Loop Earplugs, because I still end up in dorm rooms occasionally
Headphones
Power bank
My camera — I use a Sony a6000 with two lenses, a Sony 35mm prime and a Sony 18-105mm F4.
I also have a bunch of associated camera equipment — cleaning spray, clothes, and brushes, an ND filter, a tripod, and a case for carrying it all.
My packing list for a two-week South Island winter road trip
A winter day hike — puffer jacket, beanie, gloves, and wool socks all required
In August 2025 I spent two weeks road tripping from Christchurch to Queenstown, and falling in love with New Zealand winter.
I packed pretty liberally, because I had a 23kg bag allowance with Air New Zealand. I probably could have (and should have) packed lighter, but being minimalist is not a skill of mine, even after all these years of travelling.
My trip was a mix of day hikes, overnight hikes, visiting wineries, enjoying nice restaurants, and going on a Milford Sound cruise, so I had to pack for a whole array of activities.
My luggage
A giant suitcase
An overnight hiking backpack (I put this inside my suitcase) — I use a Granite Gear Blaze 60 backpack and love it to bits.
A day pack — I have the Fjallraven 28L backpack which I use as a day pack and my carry on for flights. It’s just big enough to fit my camera gear and tech stuff.
Clothes
It’s very cold in the South Island in winter, so I had my Rab Electron Pro puffer jacket as my warm layer.
A rain coat — I recently invested in an Earth Sea Sky Hydrophobia rain coat, because I wanted something that could stand up to a lot of weather while hiking.
Patagonia marsupial fleece — I wore this a lot while on day hikes and loved being able to stash things (like gloves) in the pockets.
Montane Protium Lite Pull-On Fleece — this was my cosy warm layer for around the hiking huts in the evening, but it was also just a nice long sleeve layer for slower paced days.
Montane Dart XT Zip Neck Long Sleeve T-Shirt — I wore this as a warm base layer while on hikes.
Lululemon Wunder Train leggings for hiking. I probably need something a little more durable for winter hikes, but haven’t found the perfect pair of hiking pants yet.
Rab Momentum Shorts — it was really a little too cold for these, but I packed them anyway because I like walking in shorts
Lululemon align trackpants — my ideal pants for going through airports and on flights
One pair of nice black pants, which I wore for a group dinner, and out to a couple of nice restaurants. I probably could have got away with jeans, but it was nice to feel tidy a couple of times.
One pair of jeans, for non-hike days.
A cotton crew neck jumper, also for non-hike days.
Two t-shirts.
Underwear — I have recently converted to Lululemon underwear, and I know that’s a lot of Lululemon, but they are so comfortable and dry quickly if you need to do a handwash in the basin. They are also just nice and breathable for hiking.
Warm gloves — I have possum fur ones from Merino Frank
Beanie — I love my Cactus Outdoors woollen hat
Footwear
Birkenstocks (always)
Hoka Speedgoat trail running shoes. These are nice and lightweight, and very comfortable. I used to be more of a hiking boot girl, but I think I am fully converted to trail runners these days. I might still take boots for more heavy duty backcountry tracks, but for most hiking trails in New Zealand (and for casual wear as well) these shoes are perfect.
A casual pair of white shoes for going to dinner around Queenstown.
Lots of wool socks. I highly recommend Merino Frank’s socks, including the possum fur ones.
Hiking gear
This probably isn’t relevant to most visitors to New Zealand, but in case you’re curious, these are the things I had in my pack for hiking.
Sea to Summit dry bags
A personal locater beacon — essential for overnight hikes or winter day walks in sketchy areas.
Microspikes — these came in handy on walks in Aoraki/Mount Cook
My Snow Peak titanium cup and spoon
Toiletries
Lip balm, I feel like this is fairly essential given how much time I spend exposed to the elements
If you plan on travelling in a campervan, I highly recommend squishy packing cubes. These make fitting your things into tight spaces a lot easier.
A travel or beach towel. I use a Turkish cotton towel instead of a microfibre towel, as I like it better for the beach and love the soft cotton. It still dries really fast, and as an added bonus the pattern is cute.
Zinc sunscreen. You will need a lot of sun protection in New Zealand - we don’t have a lot of ozone, but we do have wildly high rates of skin cancer. Lather up with an ocean friendly zinc sunscreen - I love My Sunshine.
Insect repellent. We are plagued by mosquitoes and sandflies, so come prepared.
What type of clothing do people wear in New Zealand?
As a general guideline, sporty or outdoorsy clothes are good to wear in New Zealand.
New Zealand’s dress culture is distinctly no fuss — we’re the country which has brought practical brands like Icebreaker and Allbirds to the world. We’re also a country with farming roots, so New Zealand attire is generally practical, comfortable clothing that’s good for all seasons.
The way New Zealand people dress reflects our overall lifestyle — casual and laid back. With our passion for outdoor pursuits, hiking gear and athleisure is rarely out of place (I pretty much live in Lululemon trackpants or leggings, and a Patagonia fleece).
We love outdoor gear brands. You’ll see a lot of Kathmandu jackets while in the centre of Auckland city, and Macpac, North Face and Patagonia are generally considered the height of fashion.
Where I come from — a dairy farm on the Coromandel Peninsula — you’re likely to see people wearing iconic clothes like Swandris and gumboots.
We rarely dress up, unless you work in an office or are heading out for a fancy lunch on Ponsonby Road in Auckland.
This is great news for visitors, as you can keep your packing list to a minimum, with lots of practical, multi-functional clothing. You can wear the same clothes on a hike, and out to dinner.
I spent all of March and most of April 2024 road tripping around both the North and South Islands, and the clothing items I wore the most were comfy yoga pants, a cosy fleece, a long-sleeved merino t-shirt, and my Birkenstocks.
I had one pair of jeans and a couple of nice(ish) tops, which came out when I went to dinner in places like Christchurch, Queenstown, and Wellington.
Here are some common clothing items in New Zealand:
‘Stubbies’ are men’s shorts. They’re basically short rugby shorts, and they are beloved by menfolk across both islands. Men wear stubbies in both summer and winter.
Outside of larger cities, you’ll see people heading to the pub in stubbies and gumboots, which are our version of wellington boots.
Jandals (slang for flip flops or thongs) are another popular clothing item that are classed as dressed up when compared to the norm of bare feet.
Black puffer jackets from either Kathmandu or Macpac (two outdoor adventure clothing stores that started in New Zealand) are typical on colder days.
My best advice — pack for comfort. You’re unlikely to wear heels, and other than Auckland and Wellington, you probably won’t need smart dresses or shirts.
One smart casual outfit will be enough for a trip of around two weeks.
Smart casual in New Zealand can mean jeans and a collared shirt or t-shirt for men, and a dress or jeans and a nice top for women.
You can go to restaurants in jeans (or whatever you want, really — very rarely will anyone police you).
This goes for pretty much everywhere, so don’t worry if you want to go out for a fine dining meal in Queenstown and you don’t have formal attire with you.
I regularly walk around central Auckland in yoga pants and Birkenstocks. You can also wear track pants in public and no one will look at you strangely (I promise).
I had a friend who moved from London to Auckland and she couldn’t believe how casual the dress standard is.
What to wear in New Zealand in summer
Believe it or not, these photos are from summer. Even in the warmer months in New Zealand, you need a warm layer. I’m always waking up early for beach sunrises, so I love having a cosy jacket to throw on. This one is from Australian brand Ottway, and I recommend anything similar.
Summer in New Zealand isn’t usually wildly hot. Temperatures can hit around 30°C (86°F), but as we have a largely coastal temperate climate, cool sea breezes means summer isn’t sweltering.
With this in mind, in summer — usually from December to early April — I find I’m comfortable during the day in shorts and a t-shirt.
However, even in the North Island, summer evenings can be cool. You’ll want at least one warm jumper or jacket, and one pair of jeans/trousers to keep you warm in the evening.
Wear layers that you can easily take off and put on again, like a denim jacket or a large shirt.
Casual sandals like Tevas or Birkenstocks are perfect for travelling around New Zealand. In summer you’ll probably be exploring beach destinations, so it’s handy to be able to kick these off at a moments notice.
If you plan on hiking, though, bring good boots — and make sure they’re clean otherwise biosecurity officers will clean them for you as you come across the border.
Even on hot days, I try to avoid wearing tank tops or just swimwear, as the sun is ferocious. It’s very easy to burn in New Zealand, so cover up from the sun and make sure you wear a hat and sunscreen, especially on long sight seeing days.
A light, long-sleeved linen or cotton shirt is a good idea for keeping the sun at bay.
So is a raincoat — you never know when it’s going to rain in New Zealand.
It’s especially important to have warm and wet weather gear if you plan on hiking to higher altitudes, as our mountains can be cold at the top and have changeable weather, even in summer.
Thanks for reading this far! I hope this came in handy for planning your New Zealand travels.
Here’s a pic from a walk on the West Coast of the South Island — make sure you remember your swimwear so you can jump into rivers like this one.
Before you go, you might also want to check out these articles:
