ClimateForecastMayJune >>

Weather in May in New Zealand

Thinking about venturing to New Zealand this May and curious about the weather conditions to expect? This page holds all the key information you seek, responding to your question:

What is the weather like in New Zealand in May?

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

Temperatures

During the day the temperature is cold in Mount Cook Village at 6°C and pleasant in Mangonui at 19°C. As night falls, temperatures generally drop to 12°C in Mangonui and -2°C in Mount Cook Village.

Precipitation

In May, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Christchurch with an average of 54 mm to heavy rainfall in Haast with 349 mm.

Average sunshine

Most areas experience a moderate amount of sunshine, with approximately 140 hours of sunlight expected in Auckland. This makes it neither too gloomy nor overly bright.

For a closer look at May's conditions in New Zealand, see the map below. For a more detailed look at New Zealand's yearly weather, check out our New Zealand climate page.

Where to go in New Zealand in May

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

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).

Popular destinations

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

Auckland

In May Auckland generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 18°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 12°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable 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
<<   April April
<<  
21°C 
14°C 
156 hours 
89 mm 
15 days 
18°C 
12°C 
140 hours 
104 mm 
17 days 
June   >> June
>>  
16°C 
10°C 
117 hours 
110 mm 
19 days 
Climate in Auckland

Christchurch

In May Christchurch generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 15°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 6°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable 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
<<   April April
<<  
18°C 
8°C 
161 hours 
58 mm 
9 days 
15°C 
6°C 
138 hours 
54 mm 
11 days 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
3°C 
117 hours 
64 mm 
12 days 
Climate in Christchurch

Queenstown

In May Queenstown generally has low temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 8°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 1°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are poor 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
<<   April April
<<  
12°C 
3°C 
145 hours 
114 mm 
11 days 
poor 
8°C 
1°C 
87 hours 
140 mm 
12 days 
poor 
June   >> June
>>  
4°C 
-2°C 
72 hours 
115 mm 
10 days 
poor 
Climate in Queenstown

Rotorua

In May Rotorua generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 16°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 8°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant 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
<<   April April
<<  
19°C 
10°C 
170 hours 
119 mm 
11 days 
16°C 
8°C 
145 hours 
113 mm 
12 days 
June   >> June
>>  
13°C 
6°C 
121 hours 
126 mm 
14 days 
poor 
Climate in Rotorua

Taupo

In May Taupo generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 15°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 6°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are unpleasant 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
<<   April April
<<  
18°C 
8°C 
158 hours 
110 mm 
10 days 
15°C 
6°C 
130 hours 
111 mm 
12 days 
June   >> June
>>  
12°C 
5°C 
97 hours 
120 mm 
14 days 
poor 
Climate in Taupo

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

Is May the best time to visit New Zealand?

In our opinion, May is a good time to visit New Zealand with overall tolerable weather in Auckland. However, the weather conditions may vary depending on your destination.

Generally speaking, January, February, March, April and November provide perfect weather in Auckland. On the other hand, the months of 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. Interested in the weather conditions in a specific month? Select the month below.

  • January      
  • February      
  • March      
  • April      
  • May      
  • June      
  • July      
  • August      
  • September      
  • October      
  • November      
  • December      
  • 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.