When To Go
HubWhat New Zealand is like month by month and season by season, plus the festivals and events worth planning a trip around. Summer runs December to February and is the busiest time; winter brings the ski season.
Coming up next
See the events calendar
Official links: weather and safety, event listings
All useful linksMetService (opens in a new tab)
New Zealand's official weather forecasts, rain radar and warnings.
Eventfinda (opens in a new tab)
A widely used New Zealand events calendar covering concerts, markets, sport and community events.
MetService warnings (opens in a new tab)
Severe weather warnings and watches. Read these before a mountain or west-coast drive.
UnderTheRadar (opens in a new tab)
Gig guide and tickets for live music around the country.
Mountain weather (opens in a new tab)
Alpine and ski-field forecasts, which can be a different day entirely from the nearest town.
Tourism NZ events (opens in a new tab)
A curated events list on the official Tourism New Zealand visitor site.
Marine weather (opens in a new tab)
Coastal and recreational marine forecasts, useful for kayak trips and boat days.
Auckland events (opens in a new tab)
What's on in Auckland, from the official regional tourism site.
More When To Go guides
NationwideMatariki for visitors: what it is and events to look out for
NationwideNew Year's Eve in NZ: festivals, fireworks and where to be
NationwideNew Zealand in autumn: weather, colours, events and shoulder-season prices
NationwideNew Zealand in December: weather, crowds, events and what to book early
NationwideNew Zealand in February: weather, events and the summer sweet spot
NationwideNew Zealand in January: weather, events and peak-season survival
NationwideNew Zealand in March: weather, Easter, events and late-summer value
NationwideNew Zealand in spring: weather, lupins, track closures and shoulder-season prices
NationwideNew Zealand in winter beyond skiing: hot pools, stargazing and cosy towns
South Island