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New Zealand weather in October - temperature, rain and is it a good time to visit?

October is one of the best months for a holiday in New Zealand.

Weather in October at a glance

Daytime temperature
16°C
Night-time temperature
11°C
Sea temperature
14°C
Daylight hours
13h08min
Chance of rain
47%

An overview for the country. Conditions can vary between cities and regions.

Plan your trip · October

New Zealand in October: weather for a week away

Compare destinations and see how many days of a typical trip met your preferred temperature range, with less than 1 mm of daily precipitation.

Historical dataNASA POWER1981-2025
City or region
Compare with history
What weather do you prefer?

Wellington in October: Sightseeing

1981-2025

Daytime temperature 18-28°CDaily precipitation Less than 1 mm

Days matching your plans
0 / 7

Weekly average; typical number of days: 0

At least 5 matching days
0%

of historical weeks

All 7 days match
0%

of historical weeks

How many matching days were there in a week?

Each bar shows the share of historical weeks.

5-7 days matching your preferences

When to go? Compare the months

Average matching days per week
3.8Jan4.1Feb2.7Mar0.5Apr0May0Jun0Jul0Aug0Sept0Oct0.3Nov2Dec

The highest average was in February: 4.1 matching days per week.

New Zealand in October: which destinations match most often?

Comparison of 10 cities and regions using your selected conditions.

Wellington · 1981-2025

Hot days and warm nights in October

Does the temperature drop below 20°C during hot weather?

—No hot days in these records
0%of weeks with at least 3 warm nights*

None of the 1,395 days reached 30°C. There are no hot days to compare, although warm nights may still occur.

* A warm night is represented by the daily minimum ≥20°C. Maximum and minimum refer to the same day; this does not isolate the night following a particular hot day.

Wellington · Your holiday week

How much can temperatures change during a week?

Check cooler hours as well as afternoon temperatures.

Coolest time of day7.3-9.3°CWeekly minimum: typical range
Warmest day14.8-16.3°CWeekly maximum: typical range
3.9°CTypical difference between the highest and lowest daytime maxima in a week

How often does it get cooler from one day to the next?

5%of weeks with a day-to-day drop in maximum temperature of at least 5°C

A warmer layer may be useful in the evening and early morning. Weekly lows often differed greatly from afternoon temperatures.

Ranges are the 20th-80th percentiles of whole-week minima and maxima, not forecast limits. Cooling compares consecutive daily maxima, not day and night temperatures.

Compare all destinations
18-28°C · Less than 1 mm · 1981-2025
City or regionDays matching your plansAt least 5 matching daysAll 7 days match
Wellington0 / 70%0%
Auckland1.2 / 74%<1%
Hastings2.6 / 713%<1%
Dunedin0.1 / 70%0%
Rotorua0.8 / 71%<1%
New Plymouth0.2 / 70%0%
Christchurch1.6 / 74%0%
Nelson0.2 / 7<1%0%
Invercargill0.1 / 70%0%
Palmerston North0.4 / 7<1%<1%
Where do the figures come from?

The analysis includes 1,125 complete 7-day periods out of 1,125 possible periods in 45 years (1981-2025), for Wellington. Every week lies entirely within the selected month. Overlapping weeks are not independent samples. Incomplete weeks are excluded.

A matching day has a daily maximum within the selected temperature range, inclusive, and precipitation below 1 mm. Trace precipitation is possible. The typical range is the 20th-80th percentile of matching days per week. Daily percentages count each calendar day once; categories can overlap.

NASA POWER provides daily MERRA-2 grid data for each location, not city weather-station measurements or an area-wide country average. These are historical frequencies, not a forecast or a measure of forecast accuracy. This comparison does not include cloud, wind, humidity, sea temperature or changes within the day, and does not assess outdoor safety. Check the current forecast before travelling. NASA POWER Daily API.

Historical frequency, not a forecast for your travel dates.

New Zealand - October vs the year - annual climate
In October, New Zealand averages about 16° during the day and 11° at night. There's a moderate chance of rain (about 47%). The sea is around 14°C - very cold for swimming.
Historical weather 1981-2025

Weather in New Zealand in October: trends from 1981 to 2025

NASA POWER

From 2016 to 2025, the average daytime high was 15.1°C, close to the level recorded in 1981-1990. 2001 was the warmest (16.4°C), while 2009 was the coolest (13.3°C).

Differences between years

How similar is the weather in October from year to year?

In 70% of the years compared, temperature and the number of wet days were close to typical for this month.

Similar means an average daily maximum within 2°C and a wet-day count within 3 days of the 1991-2020 medians. This is historical similarity, not forecast accuracy.
70%of years with similar conditions
Typical average daytime high14.2°C–15.3°C
Typical number of wet days10–16 days

Daytime temperatures in October: year by year

Monthly average daily maximum temperature: compare individual years and the longer-term trend.

45 years of data
Coolest month13.3°C 2009
Warmest month16.4°C 2001
Latest year in the data15.3°C 2025
12°13°14°15°16°17°1981: 15.2°C · Average daytime maximum1982: 13.4°C · Average daytime maximum1983: 15°C · Average daytime maximum1984: 15°C · Average daytime maximum1985: 15.2°C · Average daytime maximum1986: 15.1°C · Average daytime maximum1987: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum1988: 14.9°C · Average daytime maximum1989: 15.7°C · Average daytime maximum1990: 15.2°C · Average daytime maximum1991: 14.2°C · Average daytime maximum1992: 13.6°C · Average daytime maximum1993: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum1994: 13.9°C · Average daytime maximum1995: 14.5°C · Average daytime maximum1996: 14.8°C · Average daytime maximum1997: 15.1°C · Average daytime maximum1998: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum1999: 16.1°C · Average daytime maximum2000: 15.5°C · Average daytime maximum2001: 16.4°C · Average daytime maximum2002: 14°C · Average daytime maximum2003: 14.8°C · Average daytime maximum2004: 14.5°C · Average daytime maximum2005: 15.2°C · Average daytime maximum2006: 14.2°C · Average daytime maximum2007: 14.2°C · Average daytime maximum2008: 14.8°C · Average daytime maximum2009: 13.3°C · Average daytime maximum2010: 14.7°C · Average daytime maximum2011: 14.8°C · Average daytime maximum2012: 14.3°C · Average daytime maximum2013: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2014: 15.1°C · Average daytime maximum2015: 15°C · Average daytime maximum2016: 15°C · Average daytime maximum2017: 15.1°C · Average daytime maximum2018: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2019: 14.3°C · Average daytime maximum2020: 15.7°C · Average daytime maximum2021: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2022: 14.5°C · Average daytime maximum2023: 15.4°C · Average daytime maximum2024: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2025: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2009: 13.3°C2001: 16.4°C2025: 15.3°C19811990200020102020202512°13°14°15°16°17°1981: 15.2°C · Average daytime maximum1982: 13.4°C · Average daytime maximum1983: 15°C · Average daytime maximum1984: 15°C · Average daytime maximum1985: 15.2°C · Average daytime maximum1986: 15.1°C · Average daytime maximum1987: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum1988: 14.9°C · Average daytime maximum1989: 15.7°C · Average daytime maximum1990: 15.2°C · Average daytime maximum1991: 14.2°C · Average daytime maximum1992: 13.6°C · Average daytime maximum1993: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum1994: 13.9°C · Average daytime maximum1995: 14.5°C · Average daytime maximum1996: 14.8°C · Average daytime maximum1997: 15.1°C · Average daytime maximum1998: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum1999: 16.1°C · Average daytime maximum2000: 15.5°C · Average daytime maximum2001: 16.4°C · Average daytime maximum2002: 14°C · Average daytime maximum2003: 14.8°C · Average daytime maximum2004: 14.5°C · Average daytime maximum2005: 15.2°C · Average daytime maximum2006: 14.2°C · Average daytime maximum2007: 14.2°C · Average daytime maximum2008: 14.8°C · Average daytime maximum2009: 13.3°C · Average daytime maximum2010: 14.7°C · Average daytime maximum2011: 14.8°C · Average daytime maximum2012: 14.3°C · Average daytime maximum2013: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2014: 15.1°C · Average daytime maximum2015: 15°C · Average daytime maximum2016: 15°C · Average daytime maximum2017: 15.1°C · Average daytime maximum2018: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2019: 14.3°C · Average daytime maximum2020: 15.7°C · Average daytime maximum2021: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2022: 14.5°C · Average daytime maximum2023: 15.4°C · Average daytime maximum2024: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2025: 15.3°C · Average daytime maximum2009: 13.3°C2001: 16.4°C2025: 15.3°C198120002025
Average for each year5-year average1991-2020 reference: 14.8°C

Blue band: the 20th-80th percentile of monthly averages in 1991-2020. The thicker line is the average of five consecutive years. Highlights describe whole months, not single-day records.

View temperatures for every year
YearAverage daytime maximum5-year average
198115.2°C-
198213.4°C-
198315°C-
198415°C-
198515.2°C14.8°C
198615.1°C14.7°C
198715.3°C15.1°C
198814.9°C15.1°C
198915.7°C15.2°C
199015.2°C15.2°C
199114.2°C15.1°C
199213.6°C14.7°C
199315.3°C14.8°C
199413.9°C14.4°C
199514.5°C14.3°C
199614.8°C14.4°C
199715.1°C14.7°C
199815.3°C14.7°C
199916.1°C15.2°C
200015.5°C15.4°C
200116.4°C15.7°C
200214°C15.5°C
200314.8°C15.4°C
200414.5°C15°C
200515.2°C15°C
200614.2°C14.5°C
200714.2°C14.6°C
200814.8°C14.6°C
200913.3°C14.3°C
201014.7°C14.2°C
201114.8°C14.4°C
201214.3°C14.4°C
201315.3°C14.5°C
201415.1°C14.8°C
201515°C14.9°C
201615°C14.9°C
201715.1°C15.1°C
201815.3°C15.1°C
201914.3°C14.9°C
202015.7°C15.1°C
202115.3°C15.1°C
202214.5°C15°C
202315.4°C15°C
202415.3°C15.2°C
202515.3°C15.2°C

How has October changed since the 1980s?

A comparison of 1981-1990 with 2016-2025 shows how temperatures, rainfall and the frequency of longer hot spells have changed.

The average daytime high remained close to its 1981-1990 level.

Daytime high
1981-199015°C2016-202515.1°C
change: +0.1°C
Hot days
1981-19900 days2016-20250 days
change: 0 days
Warm nights
1981-19900 days2016-20250 days
change: 0 days
Wet days
1981-199014.5 days2016-202513.5 days
change: −1 day
Years with a heatwave
1981-19900%2016-20250%
change: 0 pp

How often does October bring heat, frost and rain?

Typical number of days and monthly precipitation based on the 1991-2020 climate normal.

Warm days0 dayshigh of at least 25°C
Hot days0 dayshigh of at least 30°C
Frost nights0 dayslow below 0°C
Warm nights0 dayslow of at least 20°C
Wet days14 daysat least 1 mm
Monthly rainfall56 mmtypical total

How often does it rain in New Zealand in October?

The chances use every consecutive 3-, 5- and 7-day period from 1981 to 2025. A wet day has at least 1 mm of precipitation.

A full seven days without rain occurred in 6% of historical periods. At least one wet day occurred in 94% of weeks.

3 rain-free days27%historical chance
5 rain-free days12%historical chance
7 rain-free days6%historical chance
Longest dry spell6 daystypical in the month
Longest wet spell5 daystypical in the month

Heatwaves, warm nights and cool spells in October

The percentages show years with at least one run of three consecutive days or nights meeting the stated threshold.

Heatwave0%3 days with highs of at least 30°C0 of 45 years
Run of warm nights0%3 nights with lows of at least 20°C0 of 45 years
Run of frosty nights0%3 nights with lows below 0°C0 of 45 years
Marked cool spell51%3 days with highs no greater than 13.4°C23 of 45 years · most often: Days 1-10

Highest and lowest values since 1981

Highest temperature21.2°C
Coolest night3°C
Wettest day18.4 mm

Start, middle or end of the month - when is the weather most stable?

We compare temperatures, dry days, heavy rain and wind. The highlighted period usually has the lowest combined risk of rain and stronger winds.

Days 1-10
14.2°CDaytime high8.1°CNight
Dry days
5 days
Heavy-rain risk
2%
Hot days
0%
Stronger wind
15%
Days 11-20
14.6°CDaytime high8.2°CNight
Dry days
5 days
Heavy-rain risk
2%
Hot days
0%
Stronger wind
15%
Day 21 to month endmost stable
15.6°CDaytime high9°CNight
Dry days
7 days
Heavy-rain risk
1%
Hot days
0%
Stronger wind
11%

The most stable conditions for rain and wind usually occur during: Day 21 to month end.

Country values are the median of data for 10 cities covered by the site. Source: NASA POWER daily gridded data (MERRA-2), 1981-2025; 1991-2020 climate normal. These are area-based model data and can differ from official weather-station records.

New Zealand weather all year - average temperatures and rain

MonthDayNightChance of rain
January ★ 21℃16℃25%
February ★ 22℃17℃25%
March ★ 20℃16℃11%
April ★ 18℃13℃39%
May 16℃11℃35%
June 13℃8℃43%
July 13℃8℃35%
August 13℃8℃31%
September 14℃9℃43%
October ★ 16℃11℃47%
November ★ 19℃13℃33%
December ★ 20℃15℃27%
★ - months most often recommended for travel

Where is it warmest in New Zealand in October? Weather by city

For each city, we show the average daytime temperature and the warmest and coolest year. The comparison uses the average daily high across the whole of October, not a single extreme day.

PlaceDayNightOctober 1981-2025 SeaChance of rain
Rotorua 18℃11℃
Average16°C Warmest year1999 · 17.3°C Coolest year1992 · 14.4°C Warmest day21.6°C · 31 Oct 1997 Coolest day8.8°C · 18 Oct 1982
-0%
Christchurch 17℃6℃
Average16.4°C Warmest year1997 · 18°C Coolest year1992 · 14.3°C Warmest day25.4°C · 2 Oct 2001 Coolest day5.6°C · 9 Oct 2009
13℃47%
Wellington 16℃10℃
Average13.9°C Warmest year1989 · 15.1°C Coolest year2009 · 12.2°C Warmest day18.9°C · 6 Oct 2001 Coolest day7.8°C · 6 Oct 2022
14℃47%
Auckland 15℃14℃
Average17°C Warmest year2001 · 18.7°C Coolest year1992 · 15.7°C Warmest day21.8°C · 23 Oct 2025 Coolest day11°C · 5 Oct 2009
17℃25%
Palmerston North 13℃12℃
Average15°C Warmest year1999 · 17°C Coolest year2009 · 12.8°C Warmest day22.6°C · 6 Oct 2001 Coolest day5.7°C · 6 Oct 2022
-47%

Temperature records in New Zealand: October compared with the whole year

The comparison uses daily high temperatures from 1981-2025 for the 5 cities shown in the table.

Warmest day in October25.4°C Christchurch ·
Warmest day of the year37.3°C Christchurch ·
Coolest day in October5.6°C Christchurch ·
Coolest day of the year2.5°C Christchurch ·

These are records in NASA POWER gridded data for the analysed cities, not official national weather-station records.

Travelling soon? Check the live 14-day weather forecast for New Zealand.

New Zealand weather - other months

JanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecember