We're in the early stages of trip planning, and I'm trying to figure out the best months to go. We're thinking 2-3 weeks, and want to do some kiteboarding in New Zealand.

Any insight is appreciated! Thanks

also wanted to add, we don't have specific locations in either country picked out yet - so I'll take recommendations on those too

OK then but could you perhaps tell us if you want Arctic or Tropic because that is the spread of climate.

We're on the South Island of NZ right now - got here Sept 3 and will stay until October 1. It's technically winter/very early spring, but we've had a mixed bag of weather. We've had some gorgeous days in the low 60's and some pretty chilly nights in the 30's. The best thing about visiting this time of year is the lack of other tourists. The worst part is not the weather, but the seasonal closures of some restaurants, etc. No worries though - we love visiting this time of year.

We went to Oz & NZ last August and loved the weather. For Oz it was perfect. A bit chilly in the south, but perfect in the north. We wore shorts in the day and pants at night.

NZ was chilly in the north and kind of rainy. But not terrible and we still saw sun some days. The south was cold, but it was neat because it was ski season so we got to try out snowboarding. It was soo beautiful to see all the snow on the mountains. Just breathtaking views! It was cloudy in the morning but by noon it was sunny.

So my vote is for August!

I just got back from Oz. Went to Sydney and Cairns area for the first 2 weeks of Sept. The weather was great in both places--no rain and mild in sydney. Cairns was warm and no rain either--great for snorkeling and hiking in the rain forests.

If I were to do it over, I would have stayed longer and spent spring time in Sydney (Sept onward) when all the flowers bloom. Also, Sept. is food month in Sydney w/ different food festivals everywhere.

But at the end of Sept and beginning of Oct. is a week of Oz holidays, so hotels might be more packed.

Hi Lisar

So you're a kiteboarder! So you need to come to NZ when we have strong steady winds of round 15 to 30 knots. Well this week would have been perfect as we are experiencing those spring winds of round 25 to 35 knots - the harbour this morning was white caps all over!
Once the summer comes we tend to get afternoon sea breezes of 10 to 20 knots it is just that the windy days are further apart BUT the water is a lot warmer. At times over the summer we get North easterly tropical cyclones that bring strong winds that last for 2 to 5 days. They are great kiteboarding conditions, also good wind surfing.

Hope this helps

Kerry