New Zealand Climate Patterns

New Zealand's temperate maritime climate means no part of the country gets extremely hot or cold by world standards -- the far north is noticeably subtropical compared to the South Island's cooler, more changeable weather.

The Southern Alps create a sharp divide on the South Island -- the West Coast is one of the wettest inhabited places on Earth, while Canterbury and Otago, in the mountains' rain shadow, are considerably drier and sunnier.

Weather is famously changeable, sometimes shifting from sun to rain within the same day -- packing for several seasons at once, even in summer, is standard practice.