Weather 

New Zealand has a largely temperate climate. In the far north, the weather can be quite subtropical during summer while in the far south of the South Island it can get as cold as -10°C in winter. The rest of the country sits somewhere in between with mild temperatures, moderate rainfall and plenty of sunshine.

If you’re out and about it pays to remember that the weather can change very quickly. New Zealand is surrounded by ocean and it’s not uncommon for cold fronts and tropical cyclones to blow in bringing sudden changes in temperature with wind and rain. New Zealand’s average rainfall is quite high – between 640mm and 1500mm. While it produces lush rainforest and is good for farming it also means that you can get wet.

The seasons are the reverse of the northern hemisphere. The summer months are December to February when we get high temperatures and lots of sunshine. Winter is June to August when most of the country gets colder and the mountain ranges in both islands will be snow covered producing, particularly in the South Island, the spectacular scenes for which the country has become known.