New ZealandCountries New Zealand January
New ZealandCountries New Zealand
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Weather in January
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Weather in January in New Zealand

Planning a journey to New Zealand this January and curious over the weather conditions to await? Your essential details are found on this page, answering your query:

What is the weather like in New Zealand in January?

New Zealand offers a broad spectrum of weather patterns. In January, one might encounter temperatures that range from mild to warm, and precipitation levels ranging from moderate to heavy.

Temperatures

During the day the temperature is mild in Mount Cook Village at 15°C and warm in Mangonui at 25°C. As night falls, temperatures generally drop to 17°C in Mangonui and 5°C in Mount Cook Village.

For specific regional insights in New Zealand, refer to the map provided below.

Precipitation

In January, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Akaroa with an average of 54 mm to heavy rainfall in Haast with 406 mm.

Average sunshine

Meanwhile, Auckland enjoys approximately 230 hours of sunshine, offering a mostly sunny climate that adds a pleasant and vibrant feel to the month.

For a more detailed look at New Zealand's conditions throughout the year, check out our New Zealand climate page.

Where to go in New Zealand in January

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the New Zealand on the map below. Click on a destination dot for more details.

Weather conditions Weather
Temperatures
Precipitation
Map not visible? Whoops sorry! Please refresh the page.
Legend perfect weather pleasant tolerable unpleasant poor
Perfect weather is subjective. On this map perfect weather has been defined with temperatures between 20°C and 29°C and not too much precipitation (less than 90 mm a month).

Select a Month of Interest

Check the conditions for any month of the year.

For a detailed overview over the year and the best time to visit New Zealand, check out our New Zealand's climate page.

Popular destinations

What is the weather like in January for the 5 most popular destinations in New Zealand?

Auckland

In January Auckland generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 24°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 17°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Auckland
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
20°C 
13°C 
2,025 hours 
1167 mm 
191 days 
perfect 
January January
24°C 
17°C 
230 hours 
78 mm 
12 days 
perfect 
February   >> February
>>  
25°C 
18°C 
196 hours 
82 mm 
10 days 
perfect 
Climate in Auckland

Christchurch

In January Christchurch generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 22°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 13°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Christchurch
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
17°C 
8°C 
2,129 hours 
686 mm 
122 days 
poor 
January January
22°C 
13°C 
238 hours 
58 mm 
8 days 
perfect 
February   >> February
>>  
23°C 
12°C 
196 hours 
49 mm 
8 days 
perfect 
Climate in Christchurch

Queenstown

In January Queenstown generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 17°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 7°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant that month.

Queenstown
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
10°C 
2°C 
1,928 hours 
1540 mm 
133 days 
poor 
January January
17°C 
7°C 
230 hours 
143 mm 
11 days 
unpleasant 
February   >> February
>>  
17°C 
7°C 
207 hours 
115 mm 
9 days 
unpleasant 
Climate in Queenstown

Rotorua

In January Rotorua generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 23°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 13°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Rotorua
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
18°C 
9°C 
2,136 hours 
1389 mm 
152 days 
pleasant 
January January
23°C 
13°C 
240 hours 
95 mm 
10 days 
perfect 
February   >> February
>>  
24°C 
14°C 
207 hours 
105 mm 
9 days 
pleasant 
Climate in Rotorua

Taupo

In January Taupo generally has high temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 22°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 12°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are perfect that month.

Taupo
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
sun hoursMonthly sun hours sun hoursSun hours
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
<<   Annual Annual
<<  
17°C 
8°C 
1,970 hours 
1345 mm 
146 days 
tolerable 
January January
22°C 
12°C 
224 hours 
90 mm 
10 days 
perfect 
February   >> February
>>  
23°C 
12°C 
202 hours 
96 mm 
8 days 
perfect 
Climate in Taupo

Is your destination not in the list? Have a look at other destinations in New Zealand.

Is January the best time to visit New Zealand?

We consider January to be one of the best times to travel to New Zealand. Typically, the climate in Auckland is perfect. However, the weather conditions may vary depending on your destination.

Generally speaking, the best visiting conditions can be found in January, February, March, April and November offering mostly perfect weather in Auckland. In contrast, June, July, August and September tend to have unpleasant weather conditions.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in New Zealand.

Weather and climate has detailed information for every country in the world. Are you going to New Zealand? Get detailed historical weather averages for many cities in New Zealand.

Not sure yet where to go? We now have a tool which recommends destinations that suit your ideal travel conditions. Find out where to go with our weather planner.