With a four-season climate (and the cliché that we often get them all in one day), the weather can play a big part in a trip to New Zealand. Travelling New Zealand in autumn means shorter and colder days (compared to summer), smaller crowds than in high season and the chance to see colourful autumn leaves. Keep reading to get a feel for what a trip to New Zealand in autumn is like!
New Zealand in Autumn: The Weather
Autumn in New Zealand runs from March to the end of May. If you’re visiting New Zealand in March you won’t feel very autumnal – it’s essentially still summer and is one of the best months in New Zealand.
By April it’s starting to get a bit colder, and when daylight savings arrives (early April) the days get pretty short. By mid-April it’s getting dark around 6 – 7 pm (earlier in the north). With summer days stretching out to 9 pm, it does make a difference in how much you can cram into each day.
By May you’re starting to get frosty mornings and a more winter feel – you’ll still get nice days though and it still gets to almost-summer-like temperatures.
The Crowds
I almost forget what the tourist crowds were like before Covid, but if you’re looking to avoid the masses it makes sense to opt for autumn or spring. In summer you get a lot of locals travelling around (especially the Christmas / New Year break), making popular tourist spots swell with size.
There are a couple of public holiday weekends in April, so it can get busy over those times, but outside of that you’re unlikely to be too bothered by crowds when travelling around New Zealand in autumn.
Where to Go?
Autumn is a great time to travel in most parts of New Zealand. In early autumn it’s still warm enough to head to the beach or dine at sunny outdoor restaurants.
Mountain areas won’t be quite as scenic due to a lack of snow, so if you’re planning a long trip I’d start in the north and head south from there, hopefully reaching the Queenstown / Wanaka area in mid-April for the leaves! We spent quite a bit of time in that area this autumn and it was awesome. We did some walks around Arrowtown and Wanaka and explored Central Otago.
Arrowtown is probably New Zealand’s cutest “Autumn Town”, so try and get there in mid-April if you can. The leaves generally peak in mid-late April in that area (maybe slightly different further north).
By mid-late May it’s getting cold – if you’re after the warmer weather you’ll want to head to Northland etc, although places like Nelson can be nice at that time of year too. It obviously depends on the weather, which you can’t predict with too much certainty.
Autumn is a nice time to travel in New Zealand – you won’t be too bothered by the crowds; the weather is pretty decent and you get to see some of our picturesque tourist towns at their autumn-leaves best.
READ MORE: New Zealand in Winter: Where to Go and What to Expect
Are you planning a trip to New Zealand? Let me know in the comments below!
Jon Algie
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