Climate New Zealand: Climate Tables, current weather & travel tips

In New Zealand, called in the Maori language "Aotearoa" - the " Land of the White Cloud" - a distinctly mild climate prevails throughout the year. Visitors will find the best climatic conditions in the New Zealand summer months of January and February.

Christchurch

Christchurch, also known as "Garden City", is both New Zealand's oldest city and the largest city on the South Island. Due to its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, New Zealand has an oceanic climate with relatively warm summers and comparatively cool winters.

Queenstown

The New Zealand city of Queenstown is located on the South Island, well shielded from the "Roaring Forties" by the New Zealand Alps. Here the climate is on average two °C warmer and also milder than in other parts of the country.

Wellington

The capital of New Zealand, Wellington, offers numerous varied leisure opportunities. The "Windy City" is located on the southern tip of the North Island and thus lies in the temperate climate zone.

Auckland

The New Zealand metropolis of Auckland, the "City of Sails", promises a year-round subtropical mild climate with relatively many hours of sunshine. Temperatures vary only slightly throughout the year.

The climate year of New Zealand

Ever since the first part of the "Lord of the Rings"trilogy filmed in New Zealand was released in 2001 (which has since been cinematically complemented by the Hobbit series), the country has been an extremely popular destination for film enthusiasts from all over the world. The geographically quite remote island nation in the southern Pacific Ocean delights with year-round mild temperatures and magnificent landscapes. New Zealand is a distinctly green island, which is due on the one hand to the very sparse population (about 1/3 of the population lives in the metropolitan area Auckland) and on the other hand to the fact that there is hardly any industry. The local population lives mainly from tourism and agriculture. The climatic conditions in New Zealand differ depending on the location. On the North Island, visitors will find a rather subtropical climate, where mild temperatures prevail, fluctuating rather slightly throughout the year. In the south, on the other hand, it is much cooler, with temperatures of around - 10 °C not uncommon in the inland areas in winter. In the coastal regions, however, the climate is decidedly mild, with frequent hours of sunshine and moderate rainfall.

General information about New Zealand

New Zealanders have now adapted to the growing Middle Earth tourism and offer guided tours of the filming areas. Even the Hobbit village known from the films, including the famous pub "Zum Grünen Drachen" can be found by visitors originally built in the town of Matamata. However, New Zealand has much more to offer than just an impressive film set. The national parks, such as the 1.25 million hectare Fiordland National Park or the Abel Tasman National Park in the south, are also worth seeing. Another very popular destination is the spa town of Rotorua with its famous "Thermal Wonderlands". The cultural center of the island state is the capital Wellington, while the city of Auckland is known as the City of Sails. Whale watching is best done at the Kaikoura spot on the South Island.

Tourism New Zealand

Since New Zealand is located in the southern hemisphere of the earth, the seasons are exactly opposite to those in Europe. The warmest months are January and February, while July is the coldest. In addition, the rule is that the further south you go, the cooler it gets. The subtropical climate in the north is mild all year round, while in the winters in the south, sub-zero temperatures are to be expected. However, there are no such extreme temperature differences in the course of the year as in the continental climate. On the other hand, New Zealand has a lot of sunshine hours - on average about 2000 per year. The sunniest places are Nelson / Marlborough, Hawke's Bay and the Bay of Plenty.