new zealand climate
Located in the southern hemisphere New Zealand's seasons are opposite to those in North America. The most popular time to travel is during November through April, when temperatures are warmer and rainfall is less. As an island in the South Pacific, with miles of ocean in every direction a maritime climate prevails bringing warm summer months (Dec-March) and mild winters (Jun-Aug). Weather patterns are strongly affected by the prevailing westerly breezes, which bring moisture from the Tasman Sea to the Western side of both Islands. Regional variations can be considerable, with the North being subtropical and the South temperate. Mountain ranges running north to south along both islands, cast a long rain shadows over the country, making the eastern side considerably drier than the wetter west coast.
Queenstown | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Avg. Temp. (F) | 63 | 63 | 60 | 55 | 55 | 44 | 44 | 46 | 50 | 50 | 58 | 61 |
| Rainfall (Inches) | 2.2 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.8 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
Christchurch | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Avg. Temp. (F) | 62 | 62 | 59 | 52 | 45 | 40 | 40 | 42 | 47 | 51 | 56 | 59 |
| Rainfall (Inches) | 3.1 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 2.5 | 2.6 | 3.0 | 2.5 | 2.4 |
Hikitika | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Avg. Temp. (F) | 60 | 61 | 58 | 55 | 50 | 46 | 45 | 47 | 50 | 52 | 55 | 58 |
| Rainfall (Inches) | 10.2 | 7.4 | 9.3 | 9.2 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 9.3 | 8.8 | 11.4 | 10.4 | 10.2 |
