New Zealand is really a gorgeous country that may be visited any time through the entire year. Learn what to bring into consideration when deciding on when is the greatest time to visit New Zealand.
If you’re seeking to visit New Zealand but don‘t know when is the greatest time to visit New Zealand, here are a few things you might want to consider when creating that decision.
There will be basically three things you can look into when deciding what‘s the best time to visit New Zealand :
1. The seasons
Certain activities you are able to only do in certain seasons, whenever you’re coming to New Zealand in order to perform a particular activity, the season may impact the time period you finally choose to visit New Zealand.
2. Avoiding the crowds
If you’re somebody who attempts to avoid crowds, you might want to pay special focus on when New Zealanders take presctiption holiday.
Campsites and areas on and around lakes and beaches tend to get very crowded when Kiwis take presctiption holiday.
3. Price of accommodation
While New Zealand doesn‘t genuinely have a coffee season – It‘s almost always high season, pretty very similar to Hawaii – there will be moments when hotels and motels are much cheaper.
I’ll get into each consideration in additional detail…
New Zealand seasons and weather
The seasons in New Zealand are opposites from the seasons upon the Northern Hemisphere.
For instance, if you’re living inside the U. S. A., Canada, as well as U. K. :
Once it is spring for you personally, It‘s autumn in New Zealand
Once it is summer for you personally, It‘s winter in New Zealand
Once it is autumn for you personally, It‘s spring in New Zealand
Once it is winter for you personally, It‘s summer in New Zealand
When it comes to months, this would translate to :
Summer – December, January, February
Autumn – March, April, May
Winter – June, July, August
Spring – September, October, November
It’s not just the seasons which are opposites, though. Temperatures are too. For instance, upon the Northern Hemisphere you’ll get cooler temperatures the greater north you go, and that is why Florida is warm and Alaska is cold.
In New Zealand, you’ll get cooler temperatures the greater south you go, and that is why Auckland tends to become warmer than Queenstown. But because New Zealand doesn‘t span many latitudes – New Zealand is really a relatively small country – the temperatures don’t differ much.
Additionally, temperatures will also be affected from the lay from the land. For instance, Central Otago could get much warmer than Auckland or Northland in summer due to its location and it is geography.
The warmest temperatures usually take place in January and February, but like elsewhere on Earth, the weather varies plenty and can also become very unpredictable, especially upon the boundaries from the seasons.
The general rule of thumb is that you may expect summer to become warmer than winter, however this rule doesn‘t always need to apply, especially not when polar air is blown toward New Zealand in summer and it also gets a little chilly.
Something you need to remember is New Zealand could get cold which some parts from the country for example Central Otago do experience extreme temperatures during summer and winter. And don’t be surprised either if this rains day after day.
New Zealand is really a mountainous island nation sitting isolated inside the Southwest Pacific, and therefore the weather tends to become pretty unpredictable. Nevertheless, it indicates that you may come anytime of year but still get glorious days ! Here in the bottom around the globe (or top, depending about how you percieve it ! ) our seasons are opposite towards the Northern Hemisphere’s and the majority people that visit New Zealand opt to come during our summer season, and that is December through February.
Summer – Warm and bustling
New Zealand truly does enter into its own inside the summer, being an outdoor lover’s paradise. Particularly involving the months of December to February you will see people in the beach, hiking inside the forest or biking on our cycling trails. It is a popular time of year so you can get outdoors in nature, and experiencing life with a slower pace.
December – The beginning of summer, warm weather and also a buzz inside the air leading as much as the holidays. The times are reaching their longest hours, making for sufficient time to reach adventuring. Always a fantastic month to have New Zealand.
January – Warmest month, heaps happening and also the festive spirit carries on from Christmas ! There are numerous summer events at the moment of year, with races of shapes and sizes most weekends, along with festivals and concerts.
February – Mid-summer and another fabulous and extremely popular month to have New Zealand. Races and triathlons are held through the entire country each weekend, to bring aspect in or just simply watch ! Slap upon the sunscreen and wear a hat.
Autumn / Fall – Perfect for Hiking
If you need to escape the busiest season upon the trails, then fall months are excellent for hiking. It is a little cooler, just a little quieter, but so beautiful like the leaves upon the trees change colour and also the first dustings of snow arrive upon the hills. So long as you have a couple of layers of clothing, you are in for any treat because you should have a lot of the hiking trails to yourself.
March – Late-summer, warm days, summer breezes and moderate daylight hours in order to make the foremost from being outdoors. It is still common to obtain a few hot days in March, so covering up coming from the sun remains important !
April – Start of Fall / Autumn – stunning colours like the leaves change colour upon the trees. Crisp, clear days and there might be a bite inside the air some days so you will need an additional layer or two, but altogether it is a beautiful month and a lot of fun to become here.
May – Early-winter, temperature dropping, but nonetheless some beautiful days.
Winter
Many people do not realise how awesome New Zealand is inside the winter ! … aside from our Australian visitors who head over the Tasman in order to make the foremost in our winter slopes. if you are not really a skier, then it is an amazing time for them to come winter hiking in New Zealand – the trails are quiet and also the mountains all around are snow-capped. There’s even a couple of hot pools that you may trek to amongst the mountains. There are a few ski areas through the entire country, but being based in Queenstown we spend most in our time at Cardrona, Treble Cone, the Remarkables, Coronet Peak, Ohau and Mount Hutt.
June – Officially the beginning of winter and the start of the await the very first snow and also the ski fields to open. It is also here we are at Queenstown Winter Festival, an excellent event held annually with lots of activities for the entire family.
July – Winter – ski fields open then it‘s all continue the mountain ! Powder days and being first upon the slope for the first morning runs are what it is about. Simultaneously, the hiking trails are much more peaceful and serene than normal, so it is an amazing time of year to hike the backcountry valley trails.
August – Winter still and probably perhaps one of the best months for snow sports.
Consider the aim of your respective visit to New Zealand
What are you currently coming to New Zealand to carry out? Ski, snowboard, visit wineries, go hiking, sightsee while self-driving?
In spring, for instance, you are able to visit cities where trees are blooming. Christchurch is among those cities to visit during spring. Snow can still fall early in spring, so it’s still the ideal time to discover snow upon the mountains.
Summer could be seen like the peak tourist season. Most activity providers are open for business and it‘s the perfect here we are at adventure, day walks, scenic drives, visiting wineries, picking fruit, etc. etc.
If you need to go leaf peeping, autumn is a lot of fun to do this. The very best locations for fall foliage will be the Mackenzie Country from Tekapo to Omarama, the Southern Lakes region (Wanaka, Queenstown, and Arrowtown ), and elements of Central Otago. There could be a early snow in autumn, but generally not enough for winter sports.
Winter could be harzardous where driving is bothered, especially in areas which are at a better elevation for example mountain passes (for instance, Lindis Pass ) and Central North Island. The foremost spectacular scenery could be found upon the South Island ; the mountains are usually snow-capped and sometimes snow-covered.
Ski fields are likely to open in June. A couple of might open earlier if snow conditions are actually good, but that doesn‘t happen often. The favored locations for winter sports are Queenstown, Cardrona, and Mount Hutt upon the South Island, and also the Central Plateau upon the North Island.
When is New Zealand the foremost crowded?
Parents generally take a little time off from work when their kids are in your own home. So if you need to steer clear of the crowds, steer clear of the periods of your time when New Zealanders continue holiday, that generally throughout the school holidays.
The New Zealand school holidays for 2017 – 2019 are :
July 7, 2017 – July 24, 2017
September 29, 2017 – October 16, 2017
December 14, 2017 – January 29, 2018
April 13, 2018 – April 30, 2018
July 6, 2018 – July 23, 2018
September 28, 2018 – October 15, 2018
December 18, 2018 – February 7, 2019
April 12, 2019 – April 29, 2019
July 5, 2019 – July 22, 2019
You could find these dates upon the website from the New Zealand Ministry of Education.
You may also take New Zealand Public Holidays into account when planning a visit. For 2017 – 2018, these dates are :
Queen’s Birthday – June 5, 2017
Labour Day – October 23, 2017
Christmas Day – December 25, 2017
Boxing Day – December 26, 2017
New Year’s Day – January 1, 2018
Day after New Year’s Day – January 2, 2018
Waitangi Day – February 6, 2018
Good Friday – March 30, 2018
Easter Monday – April 2, 2018
Anzac Day – April 25, 2018
And lastly, people doing work in each New Zealand province also get each day off every year – these are generally known as Anniversary Day Holidays. You may also find these dates upon the website mentioned above.
The most thing to note about holidays in New Zealand is throughout the Christmas and New Year period, almost all businesses pack up for a few weeks, so you’ve got this massive level of New Zealanders that are on holiday in December and January. It may get very crowded then in certain areas, especially where there’s water – beaches and lakes – because Kiwis enjoy water activities and being outside inside the sun plenty.
And be also aware that together with those businesses, there aren’t many restaurants open on Christmas Day, so if you feel planning to travel throughout the Christmas holidays, make sure that you arrive in New Zealand before Christmas Day in order to buy your own personal food or enquire if the hotel you‘re staying at includes a restaurant that‘s open on Christmas.
Do you know the cheapest months for accommodation?
May and early June could be seen as low season in New Zealand. People don’t travel just the maximum amount of, so business slows down. You are able to find a very good rates at hotels and motels during this point from the year.
The foremost expensive months are definitely summer throughout the peak tourist season. Booking way beforehand will be highly recommended. Including making car rental reservations.
Additionally, don’t be surprised if you’re asked to pay out section of your reservation beforehand. Most businesses here in New Zealand are small businesses that include somethat you ten people, to allow them to be hit hard by cancellations, and that is why some request advance (partial ) payment or have stringent cancellation policies set up. Just remember to go through fine print before you decide to have a reservation.
One more thing to note is accommodation could be slightly more costly on Public Holidays for example Christmas, Easter, etc.
Final words on the very best time to visit New Zealand
Personally, autumn and winter are my two favorite seasons to reach on the holiday in New Zealand, mainly due to the colorful scenery in autumn and also the snow upon the mountains in winter.
I’ve also gone on vacation in spring and summer. Spring can still offer beautiful scenery with snow-capped mountains and spring blossoms. And in summer, the New Zealand Christmas tree – the pohutukawa – comes into bloom.
I don’t mind being on hiking trails with many people ; actually, it‘s good to possess others walking on a single trails as you‘re, particularly if you’re traveling alone in New Zealand.
You thing to note is there will be currently almost 4. 7 million people residing in New Zealand when compared with, for instance, almost 17 million people inside the Netherlands with New Zealand being approximately six times larger compared to the Netherlands. So even when the complete country went on holiday, it might still not get super crowded, and you‘d still manage to find places where there isn’t one soul around. The only real issue could be finding accommodation in popular places like Queenstown.