Kaikoura weather in December

In December, Kaikoura sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 65 mm of rain across 11.2 wet days and about 15 hours of daylight. It is the 4th-warmest and 10th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 14 h 54 min at the start of December to 15 h 06 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, December is Kaikoura's 12th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kaikoura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
4th warmest
Overnight low
13°
9th coldest
Rainfall
65 mm
11.2 wet days
Daylight
15 h 06 min
5:49 AM – 8:54 PM
Cloud cover
60%
12th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
6.92 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.2
out of 10

Kaikoura is town in New Zealand.

Air quality: WHO Ambient Air Quality Database. Density & description: Wikidata (CC0), GeoNames.

Temperature in December

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 17°C through the month.

A typical December day in Kaikoura reaches about 17°C in the afternoon and slips back to 13°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 13°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, December runs about 2°C warmer than November and about 1°C cooler than January.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11612
21612
31612
41612
51612
61612
71612
81612
91612
101612
111612
121712
131713
141713
151713
161713
171713
181713
191713
201713
211713
221713
231713
241713
251713
261713
271713
281713
291713
301713
311713

Kaikoura weather by month

How December compares with the rest of the year at a glance. December is the 4th-warmest and 10th-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 14°6910.1014.75.9
Feb18° / 14°608.6013.76.1
Mar17° / 13°709.2012.45.6
Apr15° / 11°8010.1010.94.5
May13° / 6910.20.29.63.7
Jun11° / 9611.60.892.5
Jul10° / 9311.81.19.22.1
Aug10° / 7911.30.910.32.4
Sep12° / 659.80.511.73.1
Oct13° / 8212.50.413.23.6
Nov15° / 11°7110.8014.44.4
Dec17° / 13°6511.20155.2

Cloud cover in December

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in December, the cloudiest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of December, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 54%. Skies tend to open up as the month goes on.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14456
24357
34357
44456
54357
64357
74456
84456
94456
104555
114555
124555
134456
144357
154357
164357
174456
184456
194555
204555
214555
224654
234654
244753
254852
264852
274951
285050
295149
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in December

Any precipitation

Kaikoura gets around 65 mm of rain over 11.2 wet days in December. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 36% and peaks near 37% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
136
236
336
436
536
635
735
835
935
1035
1136
1236
1336
1437
1537
1637
1737
1837
1937
2037
2137
2237
2337
2436
2536
2635
2735
2834
2934
3034
3134

Humidity in December

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

Most of December feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.

By dew point, December lands in the dry band about 77% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
187130
286140
385150
484160
583170
682180
781190
880200
980200
1079210
1178220
1278220
1377230
1477230
1577230
1676240
1776240
1876240
1976240
2075241
2174251
2274251
2374251
2474251
2574251
2673252
2772262
2872262
2971272
3070282
3168293

Wind in December

Winds average 14 km/h in December.

Across December, daily wind ranges from about 14 km/h on the calmest days to 15 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

05101520151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
115light breeze
215light breeze
315light breeze
415light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1515light breeze
1615light breeze
1715light breeze
1815light breeze
1915light breeze
2015light breeze
2115light breeze
2215light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in December

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 14 h 54 min at the start of December to 15 h 06 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 12 minutes over December. Sunrise moves from 5:49 AM to 5:56 AM, and sunset from 8:41 PM to 9:00 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
114.95:498:41
214.95:488:42
314.95:488:43
414.95:488:44
515.05:488:45
615.05:488:46
715.05:488:47
815.05:488:48
915.05:488:49
1015.05:488:50
1115.05:488:51
1215.15:488:51
1315.15:488:52
1415.15:488:53
1515.15:488:54
1615.15:498:54
1715.15:498:55
1815.15:498:55
1915.15:508:56
2015.15:508:57
2115.15:508:57
2215.15:518:58
2315.15:518:58
2415.15:528:58
2515.15:528:59
2615.15:538:59
2715.15:549:00
2815.15:549:00
2915.15:559:00
3015.15:569:00
3115.15:569:00

Solar energy in December

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in December, about 6.92 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.56 kWh/m² to a high of 7.08 kWh/m² in January across the year — December's 6.92 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.7Intense
26.8Intense
36.8Intense
46.8Intense
56.8Intense
66.8Intense
76.8Intense
86.8Intense
96.8Intense
106.8Intense
116.8Intense
126.8Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.9Intense
166.9Intense
176.9Intense
187.0Intense
197.0Intense
207.0Intense
217.1Intense
227.2Intense
237.2Intense
247.3Intense
257.3Intense
267.4Intense
277.4Intense
287.5Intense
297.5Intense
307.5Intense
317.5Intense
Planning a trip in December

Is December a good time to visit Kaikoura?

Our two travel scores rate December for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal).

5.2
Sightseeing
4th-best month of the year
1.0
Beach & pool
4th-best month of the year

December is a reasonable time to visit Kaikoura for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kaikoura in December

From December's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.

In December, Kaikoura sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 13°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: a warm layer and rain gear. About 11 days see rain.

sun protectiona warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Kaikoura in December

The nearest coast averages about 15°C in December — the other half of the beach question. The full-year curve and swim-comfort zones are below.

The sea at the nearest coast (about 16 km away) is warmest in February at about 17°C and coldest in August near 10°C.

The water stays below 20°C all year — cool enough that most swimmers want a wetsuit.

10°15°JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecbracingcool
Sea temperature (°C)Comfort
Jan16Cool
Feb17Cool
Mar16Cool
Apr14Bracing
May13Bracing
Jun12Bracing
Jul11Bracing
Aug10Bracing
Sep11Bracing
Oct12Bracing
Nov13Bracing
Dec15Bracing

UV index in Kaikoura in December

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in December peaks around 11 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.

Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Kaikoura peaks around January 14 at about 11 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 16 at about 1 (low).

The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 8 months of the year.

025710JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecExtremeModerateLowModerateHighVery highExtremeJan 14UV 11Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar6High
Apr4Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep4Moderate
Oct6High
Nov9Very high
Dec11Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Kaikoura?

Kaikoura sits at 42.4°S, 173.7°E, 0 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Blenheim, 103 km away.

BlenheimRichmondStokePictonNelsonRangioraChristchurchKarori

Topography around Kaikoura

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Kaikoura.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Kaikoura has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 131 m around an average of 13 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,593 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,828 m.

The land around Kaikoura is covered by water (64%) and grassland (25%) within 3 km, water (64%) within 16 km, and grassland (42%) and water (33%) within 80 km.

3 km
131 m
16 km
1,593 m
80 km
2,828 m
treesshrubsgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainwater
December weather nearby: Blenheim 103 km · Richmond 127 km · Stoke 128 km · Picton 128 km · Nelson 132 km · Rangiora 133 km · Christchurch 151 km · Karori 153 km

New Zealand travel facts

Travel advisory
Level 1
Exercise Normal Precautions
Power plugs
Type I
230 V · 50 Hz
Prices
≈ 86% of US
price level, 2025
GDP per capita
$49,591
2025
Happiness
7.0 / 10
World Happiness, 2025
Safe drinking water
100%
of population, 2024
Homicide rate
1.5
per 100k, 2022
Road deaths
9.6
per 100k/yr, 2019
Income group
High
World Bank
Religion
no religion 49%Christian 37%objected to answering 7%Hindu 3%

Sources: World Bank, US State Department, World Happiness Report, WHO/UNICEF, EF EPI, CIA World Factbook.

Data sources

Temperature, precipitation, cloud, humidity, wind and solar figures are a 1991–2020 climatology for Kaikoura (-42.4167°, 173.6833°, elevation 0 m), computed from hourly ERA5 reanalysis — contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information. Sun figures are astronomical calculations, not observations. City data © GeoNames, CC BY 4.0. Map outlines from Natural Earth (public domain); interactive map © Google. Sea temperatures are the NOAA OISST v2.1 1991–2020 monthly climatology (public domain), sampled at the nearest ocean point. UV index is derived from CAMS (Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service) clear-sky UV data — contains modified Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service information. Topography is sampled from the Copernicus DEM GLO-90 elevation model (© ESA/Airbus) and ESA WorldCover 2021 land cover (CC BY 4.0).