Climate

I could not have picked a better time to visit New Zealand, although in the north the climate isn't as harsh. Further south it is much colder. There are many contrasts in temperature here, because of the contrasts in geography. Check out the climate zones on the linked page to see a diagram of specific regions. There are also direct links to the regions so you can see a closeup description of the climate in a specific area.

December is summer time in New Zealand because it lies beneath the equator. Since I have been in the north I have experienced a subtropical climate. Summer time brings little rain, so I have seen mainly sunny skies. Only one day did it rain - yesterday, as a matter of fact - and it poured! Another day was windy, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The coldest month is usually July, the warmest either January or February.