When is the Best Time to Visit New Zealand?
When is the Best Time to Go to New Zealand?
The best time to visit New Zealand is based on a number factors including where you’re planning on going, what interests you, your budget and what you think is the best weather for you personally when traveling. Being New Zealand travel experts since 1999, we have collected data that helps our customers make the decision about when the best time to travel to New Zealand is for them. If you want to be inspired as you travel, check out a few of our New Zealand vacation packages or contact us if you have more questions. We would be more than happy to help you start planning your trip. Here are a few things you should consider when planning a trip to New Zealand.
1. New Zealand’s Weather & Climate
When will the New Zealand climate be the most comfortable for you based on what you plan on doing in New Zealand? Here are useful charts on Climate Highs & Lows and Average Rainfall.
Seasons in New Zealand
Spring:
September – November (Chilly at night, high 50s to 60s)
Summer:
December – February (Lovely, high 60s to 70s)
Fall:
March – May (Cool, temperatures average in the 50s)
Winter:
June – August (Cold, averaging in the 40s. Does get colder in mountain ranges.)
Temperatures in New Zealand
The hottest temperatures in New Zealand are really never that hot. The hottest temperature on record is over 110 degrees Fahrenheit but thankfully, the weather in New Zealand usually warms up to only about 75-80 degrees. It can get hotter in the North Island than the South Island, opposite to the US.
The coldest temperature on record for New Zealand is -7F but again that’s the extreme, usually a warm coat and umbrella will keep you cozy in the average 30-40F weather. New Zealand is known for having four seasons in one day in certain areas. Our best tip is to wear layers and be prepared for a chill or rainy weather!
Average High and Low Temperatures for New Zealand Cities in Degrees Fahrenheit
New Zealand Rainfall
New Zealand does not have a wet season. Over the northern and central areas of New Zealand more rain falls in winter than in summer, whereas for much of the southern part of New Zealand, winter is the season of least rainfall. In areas where rainforest make up the landscape like Milford and Doubtful Sounds, rain can be heavy anytime of year – but that’s what makes the area so amazing! New Zealand is also known to have all four seasons in one day, so rain should be planned for throughout the year, just in case.
Average Rainfall for New Zealand Cities in Inches
For more information, visit whatstheweatherlike.org, NIWA and MetService. They have detailed information for New Zealand cities.
2. School Terms & Holidays
Seat availability, tours and accommodations could be limited or priced higher during New Zealand’s holiday season. New Zealanders typically travel around school holidays and you may find that the months of December – February are harder to book or more expensive.
3. Seasons for Flight Prices
Airfare pricing to New Zealand is affected by the dates you choose to travel ranging from Basic Seasons (low prices) to Peak seasons (expensive). Choosing a travel by date within these seasons will determine the cost of your flight.
Airline Seasonality:
Basic (Low Prices) May 1st to June 8th and Jul 24th to September 21st.
Shoulder (Mid-range): February 1st – April 30th, June 9th to July 23rd, September 27th to December 8th.
Peak (Expensive): December 9th – January 31st
4. Seasonal Activities
There are some activities in New Zealand that only apply during certain seasons. For example, if you’re a skier, obviously you’ll want to travel during New Zealand’s Winter months (June-August) and the above factors don’t apply. Whale watching season is also best in June-August.
Diving can be done year-round, but the best diving experiences are January to June. This falls toward the end of summer and all through fall where water temperatures range from 45-70F depending on where you diving.
However, being aware of all conditions even if you’re planning around a special event or activity is essential for traveling in New Zealand. Because the weather can fluctuate in a day, it never hurts to be prepared for everything.
5. The Best time to Go to New Zealand
Weather wise, there is never bad time to travel to New Zealand. It is a coastal country, so the weather is pretty mild year round. This means traveling to New Zealand never requires more than a coat and an umbrella (unless you’re skiing of course.)
Based on all factors above, the best time to visit New Zealand would be Spring (September – November) or Fall (March – May). This travel period provides inexpensive flights, comfortable weather and because they’re not high seasons there are fewer travelers you’ll bump into.
Hopefully, you’ve found this information useful. If you have questions, want advice, or just need help planning your trip, don’t hesitate to call us Toll Free at 888-359-2877 (M-F, 8:30am – 5pm CT USA). We would LOVE to help you plan your dream vacation to New Zealand!
Traveling to New Zealand? Need help planning your trip? We’d love to help you!
We’re Experts at custom vacations to Australia, New Zealand & the South Pacific. Tell us your interests, preferred travel dates and we’ll custom build your itinerary and send you a Quote (no obligation).
Contact Us toll free on 888-359-2877 (8.30am-5pm, M-F, CT USA)
Planning to travel to New Zealand?
Read FAQs on New Zealand Vacation trip planning
View sample New Zealand Vacations and Travel Packages.
Check the forecast: New Zealand’s Weather Forecast
Start planning your next vacation right now! Request Tailor-Made Vacation Package
About New Zealand, a subsidiary of About Australia, is proud to be an ARC Accredited Agency. ARC ticketing agencies are the most select group of dedicated professionals in the U.S. travel industry and are recognized as having met stringent financial, personnel, and security requirements. About Australia’s ARC # 45581863
About New Zealand Reviews
Rating of Average of 4.88 on a total of 33 Ratings
We had an awesome honeymoon! Thank you!
My husband and I booked our honeymoon trip to New Zealand and Fiji through About New Zealand and were fortunate to have a great travel agent, Darin! He organized our entire itinerary with activities, drop offs/pick ups, hotel accommodations etc.(...)
Excellent Support
We had a wonderful time. Every portion of the trip was well-planned and we enjoyed every stop along the way. We did have a glitch or two (not bad for 19 days traveling :-), but when we did, Ana was just an email away. Whether it was clearing up (...)
What a great way to spend our 40th Anniversary! Thank you!!
It was a fantastic vacation to both New Zealand & Australia (Melbourne area). Bekah arranged a self drive tour in NZ with all the tours/hotels to fit into our schedule. Amazing views of the coast, mountains, glaciers, country side & city. We esp(...)
Best bucket list square I’ve ever filled!
Thanks!
Thanks to Layla for planning our trip to New Zealand. Our hotels were lovely & well situated and our travel transportation worked well. The only glitch was we had to wait for our pickup shuttle at the Wellington airport for one hour as we just m(...)
About New Zealand helped every step of the way from planning trip, answering questions and having all the documents to be used sent in a step by step procedure. Thank you
Best Trip Ever
Our trip to New Zealand was unbelievable. Everything was planned for us impeccably. Ana was a delight to work with. Every “t” was crossed and “I” dotted. We did not have one hiccup. Every reservation on our itinerary was made and we did not ha(...)
Arranged a completely enjoyable once-in-a-lifetime trip to New Zealand
My 3-week trip to New Zealand took me to every place I had wanted to see and more besides. All of the arrangements for flights, day tours, hotels and traveling between places in New Zealand worked as planned.
Amazing
Beautiful scenery everywhere you turn.
Wonderful friendly people always going out of their way to be helpful .
A fantastic service
Really outstanding. The pre-arranged activities were really incredible, from an ocean cruise around milford sound right up to a walking tour of Hobbiton. The van was a great way to see a lot of NZ with a lot of freedom to stop whenever the moo(...)
A Great Experience!
It would actually please us greatly if our visit to Hobbiton might be the catalyst for others to visit the Shire. We’ve been Tolkien fans forever and lifting a pint in the Prancing Pony was one of highlights of our trip.
YOU CAN'T TAKE A BAD PICTURE IN NEW ZEALAND!
We LOVED our New Zealand trip!!!!! It was the most gorgeous place we've ever been...the mountain scenery is amazing....the Rotorua geothermal area was amazing.... the entire country is AMAZING!
Our trip to New Zealand was fantastic.
Darin our coordinator with About Australia did a fantastic job coordinating our trip for us. Everything went smoothly with accommodations,car rentals and all of the attractions we were going to see. We would book with them for another trip.
(...)
Spectacular scenery
Great trip, saw great things on North and South Island
Perfect Adventure
Our trip covered several stops in New Zealand, Australia and Fiji over about a month. Each accommodation, shuttle, arranged tour and request was fulfilled beautifully. We couldn't have asked for a better trip, and the price was well within our(...)
We had a great time in New Zealand
We loved Queenstown, the room was a bit older, but a clean Hotel. All the other cities and tour packages were great and the people friendly, a lot more friendly than in the states. Can't say enough of the people there. And thanks Ana for conn(...)
Wonderful Time!
We had a fabulous time in Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji. You arranged fun excursions that we all enjoyed and then a relaxing time in Fiji before we returned to the US. Especially enjoyed the tour of the Opera House in Sydney, holding a Koal(...)
Outstanding trip and customer service
Wound up with an opportunity to take some vacation time on short notice. After reaching out with a little less than a month to go til departure, we were able to arrange the most active and exciting vacation we’ve ever done. Our agent, Ana, too(...)
Fantasic Job
I had a fantastic time in New Zealand. I only wish I could have been there longer! Thank you for putting together such a great itinerary on such short notice.
About New Zealand & Ana Musgray did an excellent job planning my honeymoon!
The greatest lifetime memories were made on this adventure.
The vacation was well organized. When we came face to face with a cyclone the team had our backs and made sure that our vacation continued. Each of our sleeping accommodations were amazing. (Exception Prince's Gate). Our excursions were fun, (...)
I had a fabulous time in New Zealand. My accommodations were very convenient and comfortable.. Since I was traveling solo it was important that I felt safe and I did.
Exceeded expectations!
This was a very well planned trip by About Australia of both the North and South Islands of New Zealand. The included itinerary was terrific and the add ons were of great value. In some cases the rooms were on the small side but adequate and co(...)
Our trip to New Zealand was amazing!
It's such a beautiful country with lots of friendly people! Our travel guide did amazing work setting up our flights, hotels, tours, and shuttles, making it really relaxing on our part. So thankful for the opportunity for our family!
Beautiful country
Six of us set off to New Zealand organised by About Australia and Ana and her team. Every step was smooth and organised. Every transfer worked, every hotel was clean and welcoming. The tour round the South Island was very inclusive and informati(...)
My wife and I had a wonderful trip to New Zealand.
About New Zealand did an excellent job of covering all the details which led to a very organized and stress free vacation! A couple of the IBIS hotels we stayed at were disappointing but on the flip side we received a nice surprise with lake vie(...)
Incredible Memories From Start to Finish
I recently returned from a 10 night trip to New Zealand and, WOW, the stories I could tell! I chose a trip that took me to 4 different cities (Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, and Queenstown), and each one had something special to offer. About New(...)
It was amazing!!
We had a fantastic time and appreciate all of the help we complaining our trip and once we got there. We got stuck at the airport and had instant help. The hotels and places were fantastic. One of the best trips I've ever been on.
Koda was super helpful in arranging a flight that suited my time frame and was a great price.
One of the best vacations ever!
Didn't know how this campervan experience was going to go but it turned out to be one of the best vacations I have ever had. About New Zealand Travel Agency had information we needed and was helpful. Obviously there are things we had to resear(...)
It was amazing!!
We had a fantastic time and appreciate all of the help we complaining our trip and once we got there. We got stuck at the airport and had instant help. The hotels and places were fantastic. One of the best trips I've ever been on.
Overall Great Trip
We loved New Zealand and hope to return! 10 days was not long enough for the amount of public transportation we used. Queenstown was fun and we’re glad we added one day there to our itinerary. Our flight from Queenstown to Christ Church was ca(...)
Read more About New Zealand Reviews
