New Zealand Travel Blog

For specifics on what to expect in terms of temperature, rainfall, sunshine, and anything else to do with the weather in New Zealand’s North Island during February, read on to help you plan your own perfect North Island itinerary.

As a classic “shoulder season” in New Zealand, April is, typically, mild across the entire North Island, with the arrival of autumn bringing cooler periods than in the previous few months, and a bit more cloud and scattered rainfall.

The end of May marks the end of autumn in New Zealand, and the weather across the North Island throughout May moves vaguely in this direction, with temperatures getting cold and daylight hours short.

July is peak winter in New Zealand, and with that come the coldest average temperatures of any month in the year. It is also usually the wettest, or one of the wettest, months of the year in many parts of the North Island, and average sunshine hours are relatively low compared with other times of the year.

The long, cold nights and dark skies also make for great stargazing, for warming up in a natural thermal hot pool, or cosying up in front of the fire at a quaint holiday cabin or luxury lodge.

September marks the transition from winter into spring in New Zealand, and this is clearly felt through changes in weather across the North Island. In the subtropical northern regions, the tail-end of the rainy season is still felt earlier in the month, as is peak ski season in the central plateau and subalpine regions.

June marks the beginning of winter in New Zealand, and with it comes a whole host of great activities, events, and special celebrations to look forward to. Overall, temperatures are cold but not freezing, and in terms of rainfall June marks a kind of ‘calm before the storm’ of the wettest months about to come.

December is the first official month of summer in New Zealand, so it’s a great time to plan a road trip around the North Island, or to lock in a holiday itinerary.

Let's hijack the wonderful Forest Gump quote, 'New Zealand's like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get'. Never a truer word has been spoken about these shaky isles, as every twist and turn of a country road dishes up something fresh, particularly on the Mainland - (the South Island for the uninitiated).

November is the final month of spring in New Zealand, and by the end of the month, it feels like summer has arrived to practically all parts of the North Island. Temperatures are warm, sunshine hours are long, and rainfall is relatively low for most parts of the island.