Weather Forecasts For Major New Zealand Cities

Weather in New Zealand

Summer | Winter | Wellington | Auckland | Christchurch

A beautiful day in New Zealand with a snow-capped Mount Cook in the distance

The climate in New Zealand is largely temperate but varies according to the country's diverse landscapes.

Influenced by New Zealand's location in the Pacific Ocean and by latitude, the weather in New Zealand can vary from extremely wet on the South Island's west coast to almost semi-arid in central Otago (also in the South Island). Indeed the west coast of South Island is one of the wettest places in the world.

Summer

The best of the summer weather in New Zealand is in the North Island. Temperatures are usually in the mid to low 20s (°C) over most of the country. Hastings, Gisborne and Napier, all in the Hawkes Bay region, are the three warmest cities.

Hawkes Bay, which gets the most sunshine hours per year of any region in New Zealand, is colloquially known as "Sunny Hawkes Bay."

Expect temperatures in the mid-20s °C in the summer in New Zealand

Beaches

Some of New Zealand's best beaches are Maitai Bay, Ninety Mile Beach - both in Northland, at the very north of the North Island - and Anchor Bay in Tawharanui Regional Park, a little north of Auckland.

Winter

Snow may fall in winter in the South Island and in highland regions of the North Island.

Because New Zealand is in the southern hemisphere, its coldest month is usually July, and January and February are the warmest months. Hastings is the warmest city in the country.

The highest recorded temperature in New Zealand was 42.4 °C recorded in Rangiora in Canterbury in 1973. The lowest recorded temperature was -21.6°C recorded at Ophir, Central Otago, in 1995.

Winter Sports

New Zealand's ski resorts are mainly in the South Island in and around several national parks including Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, with the country's highest mountain, Mt Cook, and longest glacier, the Tasman glacier.

Mount Aspiring National Park is another major winter sports hub.

Ski resorts in the North Island are found in Tongariro National Park on the slopes of Mt. Ruapehu, the North Island's highest mountain.

See a list of weather forecasts for the major town and cities in New Zealand.