New Zealand - When to Go

We just went in February but I would review and consider a couple of things given the seasons are "upside down" from USA. 1. Weather. www.wunderground.com let's you check historic weather temperature, precipitation, etc. 2. Park open dates and times. https://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/places-to-go/ you can see various parks around both the north and south island. Enjoy the planning!

We spent 3 weeks on the South Island in November 2024. We were there the first 3 weeks of November. And we had spectacular weather. Temps were in the 60's and 70's except for Mt. Cook where it was cooler, 50's and 60's. We had mostly sunny days, but we did have a few days of rain. Of course, there is no guarantee that the weather will be the same every November. No place was crowded except probably for Queenstown, but it was not unbearable. IMO, November is a perfect time to visit NZ.

This was a 6-week trip to Australia and NZ. We spent 3 weeks in October in Australia and then flew to NZ. When we were in the Blue Mountains in Australia in late October, we talked to a woman from London who visited NZ first, so she was there earlier in October. She told us they had a lot of rain and chilly days. So perhaps travel later in October? Definitely check weather sites to see what it's been like historically.

I returned from Australia last week. I spent the entire time on the east coast and it was still warm except up in the mountains in Tasmania. I know October/November will be like April/May. Are there any major holidays I should be aware of during that time period? Sydney during Easter week was a bit crazy,

We went in February about six years ago, and had perfect weather the whole time. We chose February because our kiwi friends said that's when kids go back to school after the break. BUT, be aware of when Chinese New Year is; every place was very crowded with people from China visiting relatives and celebrating the new year.

There weren't any major holidays in New Zealand when we were there last November. We didn't experience any real crowds. Queentsown, being a city, was busy but not unbearably so. We never had advance dinner reservations. Not necessary. I did make advance reservations for some sightseeing tours we wanted to take, such as the Milford Sound small van tour and cruise and the TSS Earnslaw cruise and barbeque dinner at a sheep station at Queenstown.

October/November is a great time to travel in NZ with springtime weather. In theory you'll experience fewer crowds starting your travel in mid-October, but more chance of better (warmer) weather if you start later in October. Crowds shouldn't be a real issue in most places.

If I were you I would go later in October. The places that get busy are Queenstown, Milford Sound and Hobbiton. Book ahead for anything in these places.

The only holidays that you might come across at that time of year is Labour Day which in New Zealand is always the fourth Monday in October (Oct 26 in 2026). Some places might be closed on Labour Day but most of the tourist sites remain open. At cafes and restaurants you might need to pay a 10-15% surcharge for service on Labour Day due to the staff being paid higher wages for working the public holiday.

There are also some regional anniversaries in October and November, which are public holidays only in those specific regions if you happen to be there on that date. In 2026 these are Oct 23: Hawke's Bay, Nov 2: Marlborough, Nov 13: Canterbury, 30 Nov: Westland. The same applies on those dates in those regions only as for Labour Day. You might even come across some fun local celebrations if you do happen to be in a region on their anniversary day.

@Colin, thank you so much for all of your great information.

We went the last week of October into mid Nov last year (2024). We only toured the South Island and did not go to Queenstown.

The only crowds were our full day at Aoraki/Mt Cook. The mountain top had been fogged in at least partially for a couple of weeks. We awoke to beautiful clear blue skies and went to walk the Hooker Valley track. Of course, everyone in driving distance wanted to take advantage of the nice day so it was pretty busy, but not unpleasantly so. Everywhere else was fine. We only had one really rainy completely wash out day, although our raincoats did get a work out.

From what we were told, 2024 was a very warm, less rainy winter, but then spring MUCH more rainy on the south island. The earlier in the spring the higher the chance of rain/snow/ice. The week before we arrived there had been a one day closure on Arthur's pass due to snow. A week after we got home there was a major multi day closure on the West Coast going to the Fox Glacier area due to landslides from a deluge. Because of the extreme mountainous topography there are limited highways in some areas, going around a problem area could mean an extra days drive.

So- I personally would be leery of going to the South Island too early in October. But if you are also going to the North Island, start there and work your way down so that you will be traveling with the warming temps in the south.

I agree with Syd that I would be leery about going to NZ in early October. And we were affected by the West Coast road closure, but honestly, it's not a big deal. You just have to go with the flow when you travel. We were in Wanaka, and we had to drive all the way back past Lake Tekapo and Lake Pukaki and towards Christchurch to go over Arthur's Pass to get to the West Coast. That meant we had to spend a night in Methven (there is a lovely spa in Methven), where it was easy to get a motel room. And we had to cut short our stay at Fox Glacier by one night. The advantage is that we drove over Arthur's Pass, which was originally not part of our itinerary. The drive is gorgeous, and a highlight of our trip. So, you win some, you lose some. :-)

We are currently on the North Island and this time last year were on the South Island. Last year we had perfect weather bar a rainy day between Geraldine, Lake Tekapo and Twizel. Exactly a year later and some areas in the South are enacting a state of emergency due to extreme weather. Tekapo is covered in snow. As mentioned one of the Hooker Valley bridges has been badly damaged from recent weather events. Wellington airport was shut down for much of today due to high winds.
The moral of the story is who knows what weather you might cop. At home in Australia in 2023 we had 350 mls of flooding rains over Christmas/New Year. Between Christmas 24 and Easter we had only 6 mls.

We have had rain since flying into AKL on Monday but nothing nasty although it got a bit heavy last night in Te Aroha. There are some elevated rivers and streams.
Arrived in Rotorua this arvo after a delightful tour of Hobbiton, definite 5 star rating and I've not seen the movies. Great fun.
Weather looks better next few days.

Thanks for all the advice. We would want to be there through at least mid-November so assuming a 4 week trip we wouldn’t arrive before mid-October at the earliest.