New Zealand's long, narrow shape and mountainous spine mean weather varies a lot over short distances — it's common for one side of a mountain range to be sunny while the other is soaked. Being an island nation surrounded by ocean also makes conditions changeable almost everywhere, so it's worth packing for a few different conditions regardless of season or region.
North Island
Northland
Known as the "Winterless North" — subtropical and humid, with warm summers and mild winters that rarely dip below 10°C. Rain falls year-round but is heaviest in winter, and the odd ex-tropical cyclone can bring heavy downpours in late summer/autumn.
Auckland
Warm, humid summers and mild, damp winters, with the classic "four seasons in a day" changeability of a narrow isthmus between two harbours. Rain is spread fairly evenly through the year rather than concentrated in one season.
Waikato
Similar warm-temperate pattern to Auckland but more inland variability — river-valley mornings around Hamilton and the Waikato lowlands are prone to fog, especially in autumn and winter, clearing to sunny afternoons.
Bay of Plenty
One of the sunniest regions in the country, with a mild, coastal climate around Tauranga's beaches. Inland around Rotorua, geothermal ground fog and sharper frosts are more common on clear winter nights.
Gisborne
Warm and dry — among the sunniest, driest regions in New Zealand, with hot summers and mild winters. Its east-coast position gives it some of the country's first sunrises and least rainfall.
Hawke's Bay
Another of the country's sunniest, driest regions, sheltered from the prevailing westerlies — hot dry summers (ideal for its vineyards), mild winters, with occasional frost further inland.
Taranaki
Mild but changeable, strongly shaped by Mount Taranaki — the mountain's slopes catch noticeably more rain than the coast. The peak carries snow through winter even while New Plymouth stays mild.
Manawatū-Whanganui
A variable inland climate with warm summers and cool winters. The Manawatū Gorge/Tararua area is famously one of the windiest spots in the country, funnelling weather systems between the ranges.
Wellington
"Windy Wellington" lives up to its name — a cooler, breezier maritime climate than the regions further north, with mild year-round temperatures but frequent, changeable wind and cloud off the Cook Strait.
South Island
Tasman
Consistently one of New Zealand's sunniest regions — warm, dry summers and mild winters, sheltered from the wet westerlies that hit the West Coast on the other side of the mountains.
Nelson
Right alongside Tasman for New Zealand's sunshine hours — a mild four-season climate with warm summers and crisp, relatively dry winters, protected by the surrounding ranges.
Marlborough
Dry and sunny, sitting in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps and Richmond Range — hot, dry summers that suit its vineyards well, and cool winters with occasional frost.
West Coast
One of the wettest places in the world — prevailing westerlies slam straight into the Southern Alps and dump heavy, year-round rainfall, feeding the rainforest and the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. Temperatures stay mild despite the rain.
Canterbury
A drier rain-shadow climate on the plains east of the Alps — hot, dry nor'wester winds, cold frosty winters with occasional snow in Christchurch, and heavy snowfall in the high country and alpine passes.
Otago
New Zealand's most extreme seasonal swing — inland Central Otago and Queenstown get hot, dry summers and genuinely cold, often snowy winters, while coastal Dunedin is milder, cloudier and wetter.
Southland
The coolest, wettest of the mainland regions — Fiordland is among the wettest places on Earth, with frequent cloud and rain, while inland Southland sees cooler summers and colder winters than the rest of the country.