Needed to know hows the weather in November.
Ok folks a very warm hello to all!! As always first time poster asking questions 😊. We did a bit of research and decided to travel to New Zealand for our annual vacation. Unfortunately we have only about 2-3 weeks of time, hence we thought we will concentrate on the South Island. We are going Oct 25 to about Nov 10.
We are planning to land in Christchurch and rent a car go around the loop - Wanaka, Queenstown, Te Anau, Fijorland, South Bay, Dunedin and back. Question is would the weather be good to do this with my son (about 6 years). I learn from the websites the average temperatures to be around 10 deg. We are not looking for a skiing vacation but more of a nature trip.
Do you folks think this is a good idea? Thanks in advance for any of your suggestions / ideas.
Ajay and Deepa
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Behind the wheel -
Reply to this Hello Ajay and Deepa 😊
I moved this to the Oceania forum.
Mel
Reply to this Hi Ajay and Deepa,
About 9 years ago I traveled to the South Island in the end of November/beginning of December so about a month after you are planning to go (so probably slightly warmer and a bit wetter than when you are planning to visit). It very much seemed like a time of transitioning seasons, which it was. Some days we could be on the beach in our bathing suits and some days you needed slightly warmer clothing. Overall though it was a wonderful time. You may want to plan it so that the southern most part (Queenstown, etc) is toward the end of your trip. Not that two weeks will make a huge difference in the weather, but since this part tends to have cooler temperatures than those towns more north, it might be best to do them towards the end of your trip, as it gets later in the spring. I would definitely be prepared for an array of temperatures and weather conditions (e.g sun, rain) but i think you could definitely do it. New Zealand is absolutely beautiful and well worth the trip in my opinion.
Reply to this Hi Guys
It's a great time to visit the South. You should be past the worst of the winter weather - snow, sleet and all that rubbish - but expect everything and anything. That's just NZ - changeable weather at any time of year. By then, if you are lucky, you'll get clear, fine days but cool, even cold, nights.
Pack a heavy jersey (sweater) and a warm parka. Work on layers of clothing - in the morning you'll start well wrapped up, but shed layers during the day. And be ready for rain at any time. A lot of visitors marvel at how green NZ is - that's 'cos it rains a lot, but we don't mention that too much in our tourist advertising.
If you are into track walking and outdoors pursuits it is critical that you are weather-aware at all times. Have a look at my June 9 blog post on the dangers of the New Zealand outdoors at
http://anewzealandtravelguide.blogspot.com/
To sum up, it's the luck of the draw at that time of year, mid-spring. But the sheer beauty of the countryside will put the weather clear out of mind.
Enjioy.
For more on what to see and do in the South Island have a look at my non-commercial website http://New-Zealand-Travel-Guide.com
Reply to this Maya, David,
Thanks a lot to you folks for the information. It will be good help for us to plan.
ajay
Reply to this tena koutou katoa (hello everybody)
im maori (native people of nz) living in te wai pounamu (south island) and from what i know early november is a good time to visit im currently in chch and i know that early nov here usually is quite warm i dont know much about further south though but yea id sayu come here early nov its one of the only good times to be in te wai pounamu. how ever whilst youre in te wai pounamu id recomend visiting kaikoura its one of the best place youll go in aotearoa me te waipounamu (new zealand)
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