When thinking of visiting a destination, be it local of international, we are always concerned as to what the weather will be like where we are going. I receive many questions as to what the weather is like here in New Zealand at certain times of the year. So I decided to create this post New Zealand Weather By Month.
Four Season in a Day
New Zealand Weather by Month
Generally you can group the months into seasons, Summer - Fall (Autumn in NZ) - Winter - Spring, as you would in any other country. However there is always those crossover periods. We are currently experiencing that at the moment. It's now Autumn or Fall and the start of this month saw some very heavy rain including a couple of cyclones that passed by. This week, In Auckland, we are having glorious days, cool at night, sunny and warm during the day.
New Zealand Seasons
Summer - 1st December to 28th February
Winter - 1st June to 31st August
Fall (Autumn) - 1st March to 31st May
Spring - 1st September to 30th November
Four Season in one day
The legendary Neil Finn, a Kiwi (New Zealander) of Crowded House and Split Enz fame, even wrote a song about it. This is the most common phrase used here in New Zealand when asked about the weather, especially Auckland.
So the most important advise I can offer is always dress in layers and always be prepared for Four season in one day.
Getting the latest weather forecast
There are a number of online resources for getting up to date weather information as well as the newspapers. Many hotels will have the local weather posted on the wall or on a screen nearby reception.
- NIWA Weather
- This is my most popular weather website. You can easily search for where you are going to or are at. It is nice clean and simple. NIWA - National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research.
- The New Zealand MetService
- This is the most popular New Zealand weather site with lots of information. I find it quite complex. However I do find the app to be very clear but limited choice of New Zealand locations.
- Accuweather - New Zealand
- An extremely popular site and app world wide. I don't find it to be too accurate at times and limiting on smaller areas in New Zealand when searching for specific locations.
- Metvuw New Zealand forecast
- Metvuw is great for those who understand all the squiggly lines on "Meteorological maps". It give wind intensity, direction and barometric pressure. Along with estimated rain fall.
Because of the changing weather patterns here in New Zealand I have about three of these apps on my smartphone and quite often they give me three different results.
Wow, and I thought it was crazy here in Oklahoma City. The weather is like a box of Craker Jacks here. It is good you forewarn us who have never been there before in case we decide to visit. Keep us posted. Thanks.
Ronnie, Thank you for your comments. Never been to Oklahoma City but would like to.sounds like I might feel at home.
Thank you for your comment.
Mark
Hi Mark and thanks for such a detailed article about the weather. I appreciate the fact that you list places to get the local weather. That’s so important when we are traveling, especially to a different country and aren’t used to the weather patterns. It sounds like you have some crazy weather patterns there too!
Julie, yes our weather patterns are weird and mainly due to the fact that we are such a narrow land mass. One thing is that it usually passes fairly quickly.
Thank you for your comment.
Mark
Hi Mark, thanks so much for this informative and educational post. Quite the opposite here in Canada. It’s spring and I’m glad the winter is over….for now. Your weather pattern reminds me of the time I visited the United Kingdom. You get four seasons a day there as well and I remember I had to wear a jacket even in the summer! I love travelling so a big thank you for the heads up. I’ve also bookmarked your website.
Thank you Bea for your comments.
Yes, I think England can be changeable as well, again a relatively narrow land mass.
Thank you for bookmarking the site and hopefully, we may see you some day here in New Zealand.
Mark
Hi Mark, thank you for this very valuable information. Visiting New Zealand is really part of my wife and I’s bucket list. Knowing the best time to visit, weather or season wise is a very valuable thing. As my wife is not into much of winter person, the Spring and Summer window is the ideal time for our visit. I am really glad for this information. Thank you Mark =)
JR,
Thank you for your comments. Yes, the weather is always something to consider. Your welcome that I could help.
Mark