Where to Go for Great Weather
New Zealand · Month guide

New Zealand in May

Around 13 °C with 138 mm of rain and 3.1 hours of sun a day.

May is a solid shoulder-season month in New Zealand. Around 13 °C with 138 mm of rain and 3.1 hours of sun a day. Use the regional grid below to find where this month works best — national averages hide the swings between coast, highlands, and inland.

Plan a trip in May← New Zealand year-round
Match verdictMatch: Avoid. New Zealand · May.
Avoid
New Zealand · May
What the weather usually does

New Zealand · typical month

  • Day / night
    6 – 13 °C
    Year range 3 – 20 °C
  • Rainfall
    138 mm
    Year range 115 – 159 mm
  • Sunshine
    3.1 hr / day
    Year range 2.5 – 7.7 hr / day
Compare with another destination
What’s open · May

Things to do in New Zealand in May

Nothing in New Zealand shuts for the season, but 2 things below are weather-dependent in May.

  • Limited
    The Great Walks (Milford, Routeburn, Kepler)

    out of season the alpine sections carry snow, the side-stream bridges are removed for the winter, and the crossings are for experienced trampers only

    Sources: doc.govt.nz, newzealand.com

  • Limited
    Tongariro Alpine Crossing

    snow and ice on the exposed alpine section from about May to October

    Sources: nationalgeographic.com, activeadventures.com

Opening seasons are checked by hand against the operators and parks themselves, not derived from the climate figures on this page. Last reviewed 2026-08-28. Dates move — confirm before you book.

23 regions · current month

New Zealand, taken apart

Safety · 6 governments

What the governments say about New Zealand

Combined advisory · most-cautious-wins
Exercise normal precautions
Highest level across 6 governments · Advisory last changed
See breakdown by country
AU

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked www.smartraveller.gov.au
CA

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked travel.gc.ca
DE

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked www.auswaertiges-amt.de
UK

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked www.gov.uk
US

Exercise normal precautions

Changed Checked travel.state.gov
Climate at a glance · 10-year ERA5

A decade of weather, in one page

Temperature°C
Temperature · 12-month climatologyNew Zealand. Average daytime high by month in °C. Lowest in July (9.6), highest in February (20.1). Monthly means: 20.0, 20.1, 18.3, 15.6, 13.0, 10.3, 9.6, 10.3, 12.1, 14.2, 16.8, 18.7.
— daytime high— overnight low▬ typical range
View data table
MonthAverage daytime high (°C)Average overnight low (°C)Typical lowTypical high
January20.012.08.223.7
February20.111.88.222.8
March18.310.46.621.1
April15.68.24.518.4
May13.06.11.616.7
June10.34.20.513.0
July9.63.50.111.8
August10.33.7-0.112.9
September12.15.11.614.7
October14.26.82.817.6
November16.89.05.219.9
December18.710.97.421.5
Rainfallmm
Rainfall · 12-month climatologyNew Zealand. Rainfall by month in mm. Lowest in March (115), highest in September (159). Monthly means: 125, 121, 115, 126, 138, 116, 151, 123, 159, 152, 147, 146.
View data table
MonthRainfall (mm)
January125
February121
March115
April126
May138
June116
July151
August123
September159
October152
November147
December146
Sunshinehr / day
Sunshine · 12-month climatologyNew Zealand. Sunshine hours by month in hr / day. Lowest in June (2.5), highest in January (7.7). Monthly means: 7.7, 6.8, 5.4, 4.1, 3.1, 2.5, 2.7, 3.9, 4.9, 5.9, 7.0, 7.5.
View data table
MonthSunshine hours (hr / day)
January7.7
February6.8
March5.4
April4.1
May3.1
June2.5
July2.7
August3.9
September4.9
October5.9
November7.0
December7.5
Windkm/h
Wind · 12-month climatologyNew Zealand. Average wind speed by month in km/h. Lowest in March (10.5), highest in September (12.8). Monthly means: 11.6, 10.9, 10.5, 10.9, 11.3, 10.8, 11.5, 11.1, 12.8, 12.3, 12.0, 12.0.
— average▬ typical range
View data table
MonthAverage wind speed (km/h)Typical lowTypical high
January11.67.418.3
February10.97.216.6
March10.56.915.8
April10.96.816.3
May11.36.317.8
June10.86.816.6
July11.56.917.7
August11.16.916.7
September12.87.819.6
October12.37.518.3
November12.07.016.9
December12.07.617.4
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← Earlier
April

Around 16 °C with 126 mm of rain and 4.1 hours of sun a day.

Later →
June

Around 10 °C with 116 mm of rain and 2.5 hours of sun a day.

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