Best: Jan-Feb, Jul-Aug · Great: Mar, Nov-Dec · Jul-Aug for Ski Season
Weather shifts through genuine seasons here, from July's cool stretch to January's warmth, with rain a little heavier around May and lighter around February — real variation, but nothing as sharp as a true monsoon or Mediterranean dry season. In February, expect highs around 19°C with rain on roughly 8 days of the month.
Ski Season (July-August) — Queenstown and Wanaka's ski fields are in full Southern Hemisphere winter season, drawing skiers from the Northern Hemisphere's off-season.
Queenstown is the adventure-sports base (bungee, jet boating, skydiving) and also the launch point for Milford Sound cruises through Fiordland. The Franz Josef and Fox glaciers on the West Coast, and the stargazing-friendly Mackenzie Basin around Lake Tekapo, are both worth building extra days around.
Try Bluff oysters and Central Otago wine, South Island specialties.
Daylight, sunrise, and sunset are calculated exactly from this region's latitude. Temperature and rainfall are modeled from its general climate type, not measured station data. Month summaries are generated from those modeled figures.
Expect mild days around 20°/9°C, with occasional rain (~9 rainy days).
Expect mild days around 19°/9°C, with occasional rain (~8 rainy days).
Expect mild days around 17°/7°C, with occasional rain (~9 rainy days).
Expect cool days around 13°/4°C, with frequent rain (~10 rainy days).
Expect cool days around 9°/1°C, with frequent rain (~13 rainy days).
Expect cool days around 6°/-1°C, with occasional rain (~9 rainy days).
Expect cold days around 4°/-2°C, with occasional rain (~9 rainy days).
Expect cool days around 7°/0°C, with occasional rain (~9 rainy days).
Expect cool days around 11°/2°C, with frequent rain (~11 rainy days).
Expect cool days around 14°/4°C, with frequent rain (~12 rainy days).
Expect mild days around 16°/6°C, with frequent rain (~11 rainy days).
Expect mild days around 19°/8°C, with frequent rain (~10 rainy days).