Austrailia or New Zealand in January
 

We are planning a two week trip at the end of January. From what I am reading, is the weather better in New Zealand in January compared to Austraila?
Thank you.

Depends what you mean when you say "better". Also remember that Australia is a very large country and "better" can mean different things in different places.

We were in southern Australia one year at the end of January. We arrived into Melbourne and found it very hot and humid.

From Melbourne we flew to Sidney, found the weather a bit more comfortable for our taste.

Next stop was Brisbane and we were comfortable there as well.

Our last stop was Cairns for the barrier reef and here the weather was just right .

Our home is western Canada so anything over 75F or 22C is hot.

We have been to New Zealand three times and are going back for January to March 2007. We had one hot and humid day in Auckland one year when we were leaving.

Australia would be best for younger people who are lookiong for excitement. Really a lot to see and do. New Zealand is good for us old guys, slow and laid back. See and do at a slower pace.

Hope this is of help to you.

Woodie

The weather will be great in New Zealand at that time.
http://www.newzealandatoz.com/weatherandseasons.php
Enjoy

I don't know about New Zealand only being for us "old guys'". It seems like there are lots of "extreme" things to do there (which we passed on). The Outback of Australia and the northern coast will be brutal in January. But I would think that Sydnay would be beautiful. We were there in June and it was lovely, although a bit chilly for the beaches. I would love to go back in their summer. On the other hand, Cairns and Port Douglas were plenty warm for me. I can imagine that in January the would be a bit on the warm side. The South Island of New Zealand would be gorgeous any time of year. In the winter (July) it was relatively cold (0C to about 8C) and the days were so short we had to skip lots of side trips. I definitely want to go back in January or February and see it in summer. I guess it all depends on what kinds of activities you like. You can't go wrong with either one.

"northern coast will be brutal in January" is based on supposition not experience I would suggest. The northern coast is at its worst just before the rains so November for Darwin and December for Cairns. Neither of these places suffer from the hot continental winds that the southern capitals face each year. For me brutal is 5-10*C one day 8-42*C the next. The north coast is never like that! If you go into the highlands make sure you take a light coat for the evenings. Search the bom.gov.au site for the truth about the weather.

Hey Woodie,

What are your winter plans in NZ? We are in Ontario and do the same thing as you but have yet to get to NZ. How do you split up the three months?

Cheers,
Lin

Actually weather was a lot more "brutal" when I was last in Sydney this January than in Cairns. 45Cplus heatwave for Sydney, and that was on coast, and would have been far worse in western suburbs. A week later Sydney was cold and cloud covered for days. About 31C max in Cairns at same time, and ideal reef conditions.

Tropical wet season rain falls in heavy bursts with brilliant sunshine in between, the rainforests are at their best and if coastal humidity proves too much its easy to head to Atherton Tableland for a few days at least. Should be included in any trip to FNQ anyway.

Thank you so much for your help