How warm does New Zealand – South Island get?

Typical daytime highs in New Zealand – South Island are Mar–May 15°C (60°F), Jun–Aug 7°C (45°F), Sep–Nov 14°C (57°F), Dec–Feb 20°C (68°F).

Is New Zealand – South Island expensive?

On the ground, New Zealand – South Island is high-end.

Oceania / New Zealand

New Zealand – South Island

Q: What sort of trip is New Zealand – South Island good for?

New Zealand – South Island is good for moving about and doing things, landscape doing the heavy lifting, the once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing, eating extremely well.

New Zealand – South Island · New Zealand · Queenstown

Every landscape crammed onto one island: fjords, glaciers, alps, empty beaches, and roads with nobody else on them.

The best time to visit New Zealand – South Island is Dec–Mar, or Jul for snow, when typical daytime highs reach about 20°C (68°F). Local time there is 13:24 (UTC+12).

Best time to go

Dec–Mar, or Jul for snow

Budget on the ground

$$$ · high-end

Nearest airport

ZQN · Queenstown

Good for

moving about and doing things landscape doing the heavy lifting the once-in-a-lifetime sort of thing eating extremely well

In season

January February March July December

The year at a glance

Light0 to 24h High4 to 24°C39 to 75°F Rain0 to 180mm0 to 7.1in

January · high 70°F · rain 3.7in · 15.2h of daylight · in the recommended window

shaded columns are the recommended window

Measured at Queenstown, this page’s gateway

New Zealand – South Island month by month, the same numbers the figure draws
Month	High °CHigh °F	Rain mmRain in	Light	Notes
January	21°C70°F	95mm3.7in	15.2h15.2h	in the recommended window
February	21°C69°F	120mm4.7in	14.0h14.0h	in the recommended window
March	19°C66°F	97mm3.8in	12.5h12.5h	in the recommended window
April	15°C59°F	108mm4.3in	10.9h10.9h
May	12°C54°F	125mm4.9in	9.5h9.5h
June	7°C45°F	101mm4.0in	8.8h8.8h
July	7°C44°F	124mm4.9in	9.1h9.1h	in the recommended window
August	8°C47°F	115mm4.5in	10.3h10.3h
September	11°C52°F	178mm7.0in	11.9h11.9h
October	14°C57°F	132mm5.2in	13.5h13.5h
November	17°C63°F	115mm4.5in	14.9h14.9h
December	19°C66°F	154mm6.1in	15.6h15.6h	in the recommended window

Good to know

Currency: NZD · New Zealand dollar
Language: Māori, English
Plug: I
Driving: on the left

United States: Type A, B at home, you will need an adapter. 230 V there, 120 V at home — check your charger says 100-240 V.

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