Australia and New Zealand Weather

[zodiac1]

We are planning an Australia/New Zealand cruise.  What would be the best time of year to book the cruise?  We are concerned about weather, crowds, excessive kids on ship, etc. Thanks for info!

[ChrissieCee]

Hi Zodiac.  I am a NZer.  If it were me I would pick March for NZ/Aus. The reason is that Jan/Feb can be very hot, particularly in parts of Aus, whereas in March it just starts to cool slightly, but still low chance of too much rain. (Having said that, rain is a possibility anytime, particular in NZ and Southern Aussie cities).  

Also schools have their major holidays in late December, through January.  March is almost certainly school time.  Just watch out for Easter.

 

If you wanted later in the year, November is pretty good, and schools are still in. Just now it is starting to get warm in NZ.  Today was around 21 Celsius in the North Island, and a little cooler in the South. 

 

Keep in mind parts of NZ are variable, like Milford Sound which can be cool even in summer (and can be wet anytime).  Parts of Aussie can be warm-hot for large parts of the year, like Queensland and Perth.  

 

The only times I’d avoid are the second half of December, through January, and early February which can be very hot.  Holidays are around late April, mid July, early October, and mid December for NZ.  Aussie tends to be close, but occasionally a week or two different.

 

i hope that helps, but please ask if you have specific questions.  

 

Enjoy your trip Down Under!

 

[ChrissieCee]

13 hours ago, zodiac1 said:

We are planning an Australia/New Zealand cruise.  What would be the best time of year to book the cruise?  We are concerned about weather, crowds, excessive kids on ship, etc. Thanks for info!

Sorry, I should have quoted you to ensure you see the reply.  Done now 🙂

[woodsmiths]

We live in southern Australia and earlier this year took the Celebrity Solstice 16 night cruise from Auckland to Perth via Picton, Wellington, Napier, Sydney, Hobart and Adelaide.  The cruise departed in mid-February and the weather was generally fine, with cool to warm temperatures in NZ to warm to hot in Australia, except Sydney where it was cool, grey and raining all day.  The cruise concluded in Perth, which was having a late summer heatwave.  In reality any visit to Australia from November through to March runs the risk of warm to hot weather, with the odd cool and wet day thrown in just to add a little excitement to life.  The summer school holidays in Australia generally commence in mid December and are over by end January, so a cruise in October through mid December or from February through April should get you the warmer weather with fewer children on board.  Not sure you need worry too much about avoiding crowds as most ports of call in this part of the world are to cities that would be considered to be small - medium size in world terms.  Sydney, Melbourne and Auckland are bigger cities, but are all well planned and laid out so getting around in reasonably easy.  Hope you enjoy your cruise to this part of the world.

[TeeRick]

We went this year on Solstice and spent most of March in AUS and NZ.  Late summer/Early autumn. The weather was generally very good but the area is huge with complex climates.  It totally depends on where you are traveling.  We took the southern route across AUS starting in Perth (which was very hot).  Other cities like Melbourne and Adelaide were pleasant but dry. New Zealand was generally much cooler but we avoided two tropical cyclones there.  Northern AUS is much more humid and several cyclones hit there in March this year around Darwin.  We ended with a week in Sydney and it was generally rainy and humid for a good bit of the time.  If you are going on a land tour to the AUS interior expect blistering heat.

[zodiac1]

Thanks to everyone for your input.  All this info will be very helpful as I plan our cruise.

[cruise kitty]

59 minutes ago, zodiac1 said:

Thanks to everyone for your input.  All this info will be very helpful as I plan our cruise.

 

We went last year in mid November,  one of the best parts about going then was the long days of sunlight,  it was still light at 10 pm & later, which made the most of the overnights.  Christmas decorations were up in most places which was lovely too. :)

 

There's a photo review in my signature if you're interested. 

[Dimarie40]

I would recommend October or November. It's warming up but should still be quite pleasant. Any later than that and you will strike school holidays, possible wet weather and cyclones.  Definitely do not choose December or January as the kids are out on summer vacation.  Maybe mid to late March into early April.  The weather will still be warm/hot.  

 

We booked a cruise from Sydney to NZ for next year.  You guessed it.  I chose October.

 

[ChrissieCee]

35 minutes ago, Dimarie40 said:

I would recommend October or November. It's warming up but should still be quite pleasant. Any later than that and you will strike school holidays, possible wet weather and cyclones.  Definitely do not choose December or January as the kids are out on summer vacation.  Maybe mid to late March into early April.  The weather will still be warm/hot.  

 

We booked a cruise from Sydney to NZ for next year.  You guessed it.  I chose October.

 

I think the OP wanted to avoid school holidays, so should be aware that there are holidays in October.  Also the weather is really unpredictable in October.  There was snow up to 2 weeks ago in parts of NZ....yes, even in the North Island.  And a LOT of rain!!

[4774Papa]

We have been to Australia twice.  First time March 2013, second time late March/April 2018 (visited NZ in early April 2018 as well).

 

Perth in early March 2013 was 103 degrees F when we got off the plane.  It is a dry heat and we once lived in Arizona, so we managed very well.  Sydney was a bit hot, but pleasant both times.   Melbourne was very nice in 2018.

 

NZ was darned cold on the North Island in the evening in April 2018.  I would have preferred warmer.

[PelicanLvr]

Remember, Australia is about the same size as the continental US and is over 1,000 miles from New Zealand.  Too much territory to have "perfect" weather everywhere.

 

Suggest you decide the order of importance to each port/site.  What do you really want to see in the best weather?  The Barrier Reef and Sydney have different peak times.  Throw is Milford Sound and the North Island of NZ and ....you see why I say prioritize your locations and pick a time that best suits your most desired locations.

 

One more thing about crowds:  When planning our on-land trip to NZ, we were advised by a NZ travel specialist company based in Auckland to be aware that Chinese New Year is extremely busy with Chinese tourists in NZ.  Who knew???  Just passing on that crowd-info.