Because of teenagers' school schedule it appears that the only blocks of time available to visit New Zealand would be in late December or early August. We realize August is their winter. Would we be able to enjoy the outdoors ( ie some hiking) in north or south island in August ? Thanks.

One good choice would be tramping and/or kayaking the coastline of Abel Tasman Natnl Park. It will be a bit cool, and there is a chance of rain, but it should still be quite pleasant and scenic. You can be dropped off/picked up at just about any beach by water taxi, and there are a few fairly plush lodges that you can stay in along the way.

On nice days, you can walk on some of the islands near Auckland (Rangitoto, Tiritiri Matangi, Kawau).

Higher altitudes and latitudes are going to be cold and rainy/snowy, so hiking would be tough going in the mountains or on the south part of the S Island.

Thank you for the suggestion re Abel Tasman.
Since this is our first trip to NZ we are hoping to see Milford Sound, etc and hike. It clearly seems this would be out of the question in August ?

Well, it may be cold and rainy, but it's doable if you dress in layers and wear rain gear.

The weather will be much better in late December, but it's school holidays then, so everything will be more expensive and you'll definitely want to book accomodations and activities ahead of time.

Lee Ann

okoshi2002 -

Milford Sound is open year round. Sometimes the road is closed due to avalanche danger, but they blast for avalanches, clear the road of snow, then reopen the road as soon as they can. During winter months it's not uncommon for the road to close early in the day (say 4 pm) and often all cars are required to carry chains (provided by your rental car agency during winter months).

We've visited the South Island several times in early September. In 2003 the road to Milford was closed for 15 days in September, but our motel owner told us that was really unusual. During our visit that year, the Milford cruises were also cancelled one day due to high wind. Per our motel owner, that had only happened once before.

The Milford Track was closed, and parts of the Kepler and Routeburn tracks were closed as well.

Personally, I like to visit NZ in the off season, because there are no crowds and we feel as if we have the whole place to ourselves. You can also get good deals on lodging, but you do take a chance with the weather and possible closures.

It's possible to hike in the winter as well, but keep in mind that some tracks are more seasonal than others, and bridges are removed for the winter. Despite this, there's still plenty of hiking - Abel Tasman is a good choice as previoiusly mentioned.

Don't let possible bad weather discourage you - NZ weather is unpredictible any time of year.

I'd suggest taking a fleece jacket and a waterproof jacket that you can layer over the fleece. Be prepared for some rain and possibly snow at higher elevations.

Have fun!

Thank you everybody- it certainly sounds more encouraging than I thought. Perhaps NZ in August is not a bad idea. Does snow stay on the ground in Queenstown or only in the higher elevation ?

The two times I've been to the South Island were both in winter (July-Aug) On both occassions, the weather was mostly beautiful...cool, clear, and crisp, snow on the mountains and in the higher passes. In 1986, on our first trip, the road to Milford Sound was blocked because of avalanches, but last year it was open all the way...spectacular!