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Weather in December in Canterbury

Are you planning a trip a to Canterbury in December and wondering what kind of weather to expect? This page has all the details you need.

What is the weather like in Canterbury in December?

Canterbury is a region in New Zealand. December in Canterbury generally has temperatures that range from mild to pleasant, with precipitation levels ranging from moderate to heavy. During December, summer is in full swing.

Temperatures

The average highest temperatures fluctuate between mild in Mount Cook Village at 13°C to pleasant in Lincoln at 21°C. Nighttime temperatures generally drop to 11°C in Lincoln and 4°C in Mount Cook Village.

Precipitation

In December, precipitation varies across different areas. From moderate rainfall in Akaroa with an average of 57 mm to heavy rainfall in Mount Cook Village with 283 mm.

Average sunshine

Meanwhile, Christchurch enjoys approximately 218 hours of sunshine, offering a mostly sunny climate that adds a pleasant and vibrant feel to the month.

To learn more about the conditions in specific areas of Canterbury in December, check out the map below. For more details on the yearly weather, visit our Canterbury climate page.

Where to go in Canterbury in December

Find more information for the most popular destinations in the Canterbury 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 December for the 5 most popular destinations in Canterbury?

Christchurch

In December Christchurch generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 21°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 11°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
19°C 
9°C 
224 hours 
61 mm 
9 days 
21°C 
11°C 
218 hours 
63 mm 
11 days 
January   >> January
>>  
22°C 
13°C 
238 hours 
58 mm 
8 days 
Climate in Christchurch

Kaikoura

In December Kaikoura generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 19°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 11°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are pleasant that month.

Kaikoura
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
17°C 
9°C 
89 mm 
10 days 
19°C 
11°C 
90 mm 
10 days 
January   >> January
>>  
20°C 
13°C 
81 mm 
9 days 
Climate in Kaikoura

Hanmer Springs

In December Hanmer Springs generally has moderate temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 18°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 8°C and high monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are tolerable that month.

Hanmer Springs
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
15°C 
5°C 
108 mm 
12 days 
18°C 
8°C 
104 mm 
12 days 
January   >> January
>>  
20°C 
9°C 
93 mm 
9 days 
Climate in Hanmer Springs

Lake Tekapo

In December Lake Tekapo 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.

Lake Tekapo
minimum temparatureMax temperature minimum temparatureMax temp
maximum temparatureMin temperature maximum temparatureMin temp
precipitationMonthly rainfall precipitationRainfall
rain daysMonthly rainy days rain daysRainy days
conditionsWeather conditions conditionsWeather
14°C 
5°C 
118 mm 
8 days 
17°C 
7°C 
122 mm 
10 days 
January   >> January
>>  
19°C 
9°C 
115 mm 
7 days 
Climate in Lake Tekapo

Akaroa

In December Akaroa generally has pleasant temperatures with maximum daytime temperatures around 18°C, minimum nighttime temperatures around 12°C and moderate monthly rainfall. So on average the conditions are pleasant that month.

Akaroa
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
16°C 
10°C 
224 hours 
52 mm 
12 days 
18°C 
12°C 
218 hours 
57 mm 
12 days 
January   >> January
>>  
19°C 
13°C 
238 hours 
54 mm 
10 days 
Climate in Akaroa

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

Is December the best time to visit Canterbury?

We believe that December is one of the best times to visit Canterbury with overall perfect weather in Christchurch. It's worth noting that weather conditions might differ depending on the location you visit.

Generally speaking, the best visiting conditions can be found in January, February, March and December offering mostly perfect weather in Christchurch. The weather in June, July and August, on the other hand, tends to be unpleasant.

Interested in more climate information?

We have much more information about the climate in Canterbury. 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.