new zealand weather in mid-November?

I spent about 7 weeks in New Zealand about 5 years ago, beginning in late October and continuing until mid-December. About half the time was spent in New Zealand working and the rest of the time I was travelling, mostly on the South Island (Kaikoura, Christchurch, Dunedin) but also the North Island (Napier, Auckland and further north) at the end of the trip. I miscalculated a bit and expected it to be warmer than it was. I think I was expecting "summer in Vancouver" (where I grew up) for the mid-Nov to early December part, and instead it was more like spring. I ended up wearing the only warm item I'd brought (a polar fleece zip up jacket) under my windbreaker almost every day of the "holiday" part of my trip - and I even bought a pair of polar fleece gloves and a polar fleece scarf to wear on a few particularly wet and windy days (and when I was out on the water on a cruise near Dunedin). The North of the North Island was warmer and I was able to shed the fleece layers.

I think that if you pack clothes you can layer, some waterproof items and a pair of gloves, as well as late spring clothing (tshirts, long sleeve shirts, lightweight pants) you'll be well-equipped for anything.

As it turned out, the lessons I learned about layering in New Zealand have become part of my standard packing repertoire. Almost everywhere I travel in any season, I always pack: a) a fleece jacket in a neutral colour that I can layer under b) a lightweight raincoat/jacket, c) polar fleece gloves; d) a pashmina scarf; and e) an umbrella. I usually find that almost every item comes in handy either at my destination (for example, the umbrella was handy for protection from the sun on my recent trip to Egypt) or on my way to or from my destination (e.g. gloves and scarf warm up the lightweight layers I pack for a beach holiday so I don't freeze on the way home from the airport).

Where are you going to be in NZ? Here, in Christchurch, November usually sees Nor' West winds which bring warm temperatures (often 28 to 30c plus), but this week just gone has been cold and wet with temps around 13 to 15c on some days. There has been fresh snow in many areas in the last week as well.

As frog says, go for layering and be sure to bring a jacket or something similar that will act as a windbreaker.

Rob.

Try this site:-

www.metservice.co.nz/

Why is it that people seek the advice of strangers over the records of the experts?

thanks for the replies. frogoutofwater, that is sound advice. I was mainly trying to gauge how "summery" November is in New Zealand. Good website, saltuarius. I wanted to get others' experiences from November. If you want my advice regarding Munich, for example, in December, I would say to pack very warm clothes. As I live in a cold climate, I'm trying to find something a bit warmer for my holiday.

We returned about a week ago. Everywhere and everyone we talked to said that this year it was EXTRAORDINARILY cold and rainy.

Layers.

kcd

Hi I live in Auckland New Zealand and have been to Christ church many times. The weather is fine almost certain to be above 18 degrees Celsius. and maybe not much lower than 10 degrees at night. You will need a few sweaters/cardigans and one nice jacket for the evening (maybe) Really you wont need thermals or boots or ski pants or anything like that.

I hope you decide to come to our beautiful country, you will love it. just think My partner and i are taking our first international trip in Feb 2010 and we are going to a European WINTER brrrrrrrr. Cant wait though. Amsterdam and paris here we come. Average temp 5 degrees

Saltuarius: Historical weather records are useful, and I check them as well as forecasts before I travel, but they don't necessarily give a complete picture of what the weather feels like. For example, you can read weather records and see that in cities A, B and C, it rained on 2/3 of the days in a particular month, but a resident or regular visitor might be able to tell me that: in City A, it's sunny for almost the entire day except for a short cloudburst at the end of the afternoon; in City B, it drizzles off and on for most of the days when there's rain; and in City C, it rains moderately hard for 2-3 hours and then stops.

What long term records may not describe is extreme changeability of the weather ESPECIALLY on the South Island in the spring...and especially in Christchurch and the east side of the Alps! There is likelihood of the sporadic cold fronts that move rapidly up from Antartica. If you are going to be spending time outdoors you should be prepared for both rain and cold. But again it may be in the 20s.

Think "four seasons in a day".

I was caught playing golf when a "southerly buster" hit us in Christchurch and we were barely able to make it to the restroom/shelter.

http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/weather/5/2

Here is an account of a southerly buster event in late October a few years ago.

http://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/southerly-buster-rattles-canterbury

It's about 16 in Christchurch today with 27 predicted for tomorrow. Sure is changeable!

kiwi_rob, that really is volatile. Makes it hard to plan/pack! thanks.