hey friends ....i am planning a trip to NZ with my wife.... but m really confused abt when to go...i had decided on the 20th december to 8th jan but have read a lot about that period being packed with tourists and i personally dont like too much of crowd around.... my other option is feb 1st week.... but is there a difference in the number of tourists in dec and number of tourists in feb ??? since feb is a season time too??
kindly help with your info.....thanks in advance

It will be much quiter as both the Australian and NZ School holidays will be over. Accomodation should be easier and cheaper to get.

Depending on what you are used to NZ at its busiest is not as crowded as other world destinations at their busiest.But if you are like me and three is a crowd - I'd go in Feb.

Mel who posts here will give you more details as NZ is her specialty.

Per the NZ Ministry of Education website, kids are out of school from Dec 14 or 20 (depending on the type of school) and go back to school Jan 28 at the earliest and Feb 7 at the latest. February 6 is Waitangi Day, a NZ public holiday.

So, if you're planning to travel first week February, you might still encounter school holidays.

If December and February are your only options, I'd suggest February, but perhaps the second week instead of the first if possible. Yes, it's still high season for international visitors, but there will be fewer locals traveling once the kids go back to school.

February is high season for a reason...warm weather, trees in full leaf, green summer landscapes, grapevines heavy with fruit, fresh berries, blooming lavender, etc.

The weather is likely to be much better in February.

We visited New Zealand in mid-February to early March in 2012. You can click on our screen name and read our report. Wanting to avoid winter in the US, we thought it was a great time to visit. Happy planning!

Hey thanks a lot for the info Mel & Peter. I checked out the hotel rates for december and feb and they seem almost the same and hotels being full in feb too. So i think its best i go in december.And yeah Peter, since i am coming from India, which is highly populated, NZ at its peak will also be quite peaceful for me.
So december it is guys!! will surely have quite a lot of questions regarding NZ soon. Hoping u guys will help with all the info needed. thanks a lot guys.

The weather will be nicer in February. A lot of places including banks shut down too between Christmas and New Year, although retail shops will be open. They will be closed Christmas day. Some work places close down for their annual holidays and don't reopen until after New Year, others stay shut until the 10th of January.