The best time of year to visit New Zealand

Jun 14

Each season brings something a little different; here’s what to expect at different times of the year

A woman in a yellow jacket stands in front of the famous Emerald Lakes on the Tongariro Crossing — *Hiking the Tongariro Crossing in June*

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The best time to visit New Zealand is when you have the time to go. In a perfect world, that would be late February or early March; that’s my favourite time to travel, when the weather is usually settled and warm, the summer crowds are thinning out, and there are no school holidays.

However, increasingly I am coming to love the off season as well. Late April and May are when things really die down in terms of visitor numbers; prices for accommodation and activities drop, and you don’t need to worry so much about booking in advance.

Officially, December-February is summer, March-May is autumn/fall, June-August is winter, and September-November is spring. But weatherwise, the year tends to fall into two long seasons; summer (from November to April) and winter (May-October). Although February and March are typically the warmest months, it can still be sunny t-shirt wearing, ocean swimming weather in November and April (at least in the North Island).

The summer/winter seasons also apply to the tourist industry; accommodation and activities tend to be very busy over the summer and very quiet in the winter.

It’s worth noting though, that weather varies a lot between the North and South Islands, and even from the west to eastern regions of each island. The West Coast of the South Island is the wettest region in New Zealand, while the area just 100km away on the eastern side of the Southern Alps is the driest. So, no matter when you go, pack a raincoat, sunscreen, and a bit of patience.

What to expect from each month of the year

Lupin flowers in front of the bright blue Lake Pukaki and Mount Cook in the background — *Lupins by Lake Pukaki, in December*

January — high season, with most of the country on holiday until mid-January. Early January can be very busy. Book everything (accommodation, transport, activities) in advance.
February — typically the hottest month of the year, schools have started back by early February, so there are fewer domestic tourists, but the Chinese New Year brings a second high season peak, with huge demand for accommodation and activities in small South Island towns like Tekapo, Wanaka, Twizel, and Oamaru. Book in advance for accommodation and activities.
March — usually a warm, settled weather month. Great for hiking and the high season is tapering off.
April — Easter is a busy travel time, with school holidays, but it’s still a good time to visit. Some beautiful clear days in the South Island.
May — things start shutting down, this is well and truly shoulder season, between summer and winter highs. This can be one of the cheapest months to travel.
June — Most New Zealand ski fields (around Queenstown, Wanaka, Christchurch and Ohakune in the North Island ) open in June, depending on the weather. Around this time, many locals start heading to Europe for summer.
July — mid winter, the coldest month of the year. The highest snowfall is usually in July and August, so this is when the ski season starts to gain momentum.
August — ski season is well underway so Queenstown can be busy, but the rest of the country is in hibernation.
September — a slow month, it can still be snowing in the South Island, locals are still waiting out winter so overseas visitors can enjoy attractions to themselves. Ski season finishes in early to mid September.
October — usually cool, quickly changing spring weather. Still the shoulder season, so it’s a good time to travel if you don’t mind the cold.
November — spring weather can be changeable, but it’s also a great month for hiking. Still relatively quiet.
December — Lupin season is usually in full bloom in December, so it’s the perfect time to visit Tekapo and Otago. Late December, between Christmas and New Year’s, is the busiest and most expensive time to travel New Zealand.

Summer | The high season in New Zealand, from December to February

Average temperatures range from 20 - 25˚C (68 - 77˚F)

The season of road trips, camping, hiking until 9pm in the evening, staying up late for sunset and getting up early for sunrise. Summer is our Christmas and New Year season. Most workplaces have a closedown period of around three weeks over this time, and schools have holidays for around six weeks. Christmas is when everyone heads to the beach, kicking back with barbecues and beers. New Years is the main festive season, with festivals ringing in the new year around the country.

For visitors, it can be tricky. A lot of accommodation is booked up well in advance, and some attractions might be closed. It’s also the busiest time of year pretty much anywhere except in the cities (everyone is at the beach instead).

Check out my New Zealand packing list for some advice on what to pack.

Early summer is lupin season in the lower South Island; the invasive weeds are undeniably pretty, and flourish in such abundance around Central Otago and the Mackenzie Country there’s a good chance you’ll see people executing photo shoots in fields full of them. Earlier in December is also still relatively quiet in terms of visitor numbers (although the trade off is a good chance of wet weather).

From late December to the end of January, attractions are crowded and prices sky high. Christmas and New Years are the busiest periods, when nearly the entire population clocks out of work and heads to the beach. School summer school holidays run until the end of January. Expect accommodation harder to find during this time (New Zealand families often book their New Years accommodation a year in advance). If you plan on visiting during this time, aim to start planning and booking at least six months in advance.

The Chinese New Year brings another busy surge (dates shift but it’s usually in the second or third week of February) with an influx of visitors from China. Accommodation bookings and some activities are booked out well in advance, particularly in the lower half of the South Island.

The worst pinchpoints in terms of accommodation are Wanaka, Tekapo, Twizel, and Mount Cook Village – all small towns in the most popular route of New Zealand (Queenstown, although expensive, always has rooms available). In most other places, although prices fluctuate according to demand, there are generally more options to choose from.

Popular activities also book out completely around this time (such as the Blue Penguin Colony in Oamaru, or the overnight cruise on Doubtful Sound), so it pays to be booking activities two-three months ahead of time.

Autumn | The shoulder season, from March to May

A view of a rock formation through the archway on Cathedral Cove beach — *Cathedral Cove in May — in summer, this would be crowded with people*

Average temperatures: 17 - 21˚C (62 - 70˚F).

March is an ideal time to travel, when the weather is generally still warm but more settled than in early summer. Crowds start to thin out in March, although it’s still busy enough that I would plan accommodation three-four weeks in advance (earlier if you have specific places to stay in mind). In early April, clocks fall back and the weather starts to close in, with more wet and grey days. There’s usually a surge of domestic travel around Easter and ANZAC Day (25 April), but otherwise things start to really tail off as the weather cools.

March and April, and even into May, is still a good time for hiking in New Zealand. Higher alpine routes (such as the very popular Tongariro Crossing in the North Island, or the Routeburn Track in the South Island) are generally still free of snow, but trails are a little quieter and blue bird autumn days can bring perfect weather.

Most New Zealand native trees are evergreen, so there isn’t a noticeable transition to fall except in areas with a lot of introduced trees. Arrowtown, Wanaka, and Central Otago are the best places to see a bit of golden autumn colour.

Winter | The quiet months, from June to August

A person in a red coat stands in front of a view of Mount Ngauruhoe at dawn — *The Tongariro Crossing in June*

The North Island only sees snow around Tongariro National Park. It’s more likely to be damp and grey than exceptionally cold. In the South Island, it can get very chilly (less than 10°C/50°F during the day). There are a few added challenges in winter as well, such as black ice on the roads – although snow chains are mostly unnecessary (I have never used them), you may need to wait until 10am until it’s safe to drive. Trucks lay out grit in the early morning, and the sun often melts ice away in many places. Combined with shorter daylight hours, I recommend planning a slower paced trip than you would in summer.

But, if you’re willing to bundle up warmly, the payoff is getting to see beautiful places without crowds. And, surprisingly, winter can bring more settled weather to some parts of the South Island, such as the West Coast and Fiordland. There’s a decent chance of clear, sunny days. I also find the snow on the Southern Alps to be very beautiful.

A lot of hiking tracks become impossible due to snow and avalanche risks, so hikes are more limited. Several of the Great Walk tracks aren’t accessible in winter, except to highly experienced and prepared hikers. However, winter does mean quiet trails for lower altitude walks.

And not everywhere is totally dead over winter. Queenstown comes alive with skiers and snowboarders keen to hurtle down the many different slopes around town. There’s a strong apres ski vibe, and even though the weather is cold, spirits are high.

Spring | The rainy shoulder season, from September to November

Average temperatures: 16 - 19˚C (61 - 66˚F).

Spring is possibly my least favourite season. Just as winter can seem to be slow to start, with May and June bringing warm weather, winter can be slow to end when it’s supposed to; the cold can drag on, snow falling around Queenstown well into September, and chilly spells cropping up into November. The weather is often unsettled and wet.

By the end of September/early October, the clocks have changed to daylight savings and the sun starts to set a lot later. Late October and the start of November usually also signals the start of the summer hiking season, when the snow is mostly gone from higher routes and the Great Walks season starts.

Your chances for good weather are better in November, when the days are growing longer and temperatures rising. There are often large swings between warmer, sunnier weather and stormy cold weather (at least it seems to me) in November, so you could gamble on getting enough good weather days.

Most New Zealand foliage is green all year round, so we don’t have a dramatic spring time where everything suddenly bursts into life again. But we do get a lot of flowers coming into bloom around November, most notably the lupins around the Otago region (Queenstown to Lake Tekapo). Although an invasive weed, they make for pretty scenes and prettier photos.

What to book in advance

Accommodation

Accommodation is what you should focus on booking ahead of time, especially if you plan on visiting some of the more popular destinations over the busy summer period. Generally speaking, you can find workarounds (for example staying in Twizel instead of Mount Cook) or places that just aren’t your first choice.

Aoraki/Mount Cook Village hotels book out well in advance – book as much as six months or more in advance
Wanaka, Twizel, and Tekapo are all small towns on the popular Queenstown-Christchurch route, so book as far in advance as you can
Te Anau is another small town that caters to a lot of tourists, so it does fill up over summer
Queenstown has a lot of accommodation, but prices rocket if you’re booking close to the time

Transport

If you plan on travelling in a campervan, booking around six months in advance means more options and often better prices.
Domestic flights can also increase sharply in cost if booking close to your departure date, but I usually find booking at least one month in advance is enough to secure reasonable prices.
The ferries between the island book out well in advance over the summer period, so lock those in as soon as you can.

Activities

Most activities can be booked less than a month out, with a few exceptions:

Doubtful or Milford Sound overnight cruises have limited space and spots fill quickly
Hobbiton evening banquet tours book up months in advance – I would say book this one as far in advance as you possibly can, at least six months out. The Signature tours can also book out, but much closer to the time (book around one-two months out).
Dolphin watching in Kaikoura, over the summer period.
The Blue Penguin Colony in Oamaru over summer
Dark Sky Stargazing tours in Lake Tekapo — unless you want to be going on a tour at 2am, book well in advance for summer

Thank you for reading

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So, thank you again, and happy New Zealand travels!