Kaikoura in Fall
In fall (March, April and May), Kaikoura sees average daytime highs around 15°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 219 mm of precipitation over about 29 wet days across the season. It is the 2nd-warmest season and the 2nd-wettest season.
Over the season highs ease from about 17°C in early March to 12°C by late May. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across fall, and the air most often feels dry.
Fall is Kaikoura's 2nd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kaikoura's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 15°C
- 2nd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 11°C
- Precipitation
- 219 mm
- 29 wet days
- Avg wind
- 14 km/h
- Travel score
- 4.6
- 2nd-best season
- Months
- Mar · Apr · May
Temperature in Kaikoura in Fall
Over the season highs ease from about 17°C in early March to 12°C by late May.
A typical fall day in Kaikoura reaches about 15°C and drops to 11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is March, the coolest May.
Kaikoura weather by month
How the three fall months (March, April and May) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Snow days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 18° / 14° | 69 | 10.1 | 0 | 14.7 | 5.9 |
| Feb | 18° / 14° | 60 | 8.6 | 0 | 13.7 | 6.1 |
| Mar | 17° / 13° | 70 | 9.2 | 0 | 12.4 | 5.6 |
| Apr | 15° / 11° | 80 | 10.1 | 0 | 10.9 | 4.5 |
| May | 13° / 9° | 69 | 10.2 | 0.2 | 9.6 | 3.7 |
| Jun | 11° / 7° | 96 | 11.6 | 0.8 | 9 | 2.5 |
| Jul | 10° / 6° | 93 | 11.8 | 1.1 | 9.2 | 2.1 |
| Aug | 10° / 7° | 79 | 11.3 | 0.9 | 10.3 | 2.4 |
| Sep | 12° / 8° | 65 | 9.8 | 0.5 | 11.7 | 3.1 |
| Oct | 13° / 9° | 82 | 12.5 | 0.4 | 13.2 | 3.6 |
| Nov | 15° / 11° | 71 | 10.8 | 0 | 14.4 | 4.4 |
| Dec | 17° / 13° | 65 | 11.2 | 0 | 15 | 5.2 |
Cloud cover in Fall
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 39% of the time across fall.
Chance of precipitation in Fall
Kaikoura gets around 219 mm of rain and snow over 29 wet days across fall. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Fall
Most of fall feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Fall
Winds average 14 km/h across fall.
Sunrise & sunset in Fall
Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min in early March to 9 h 12 min by late May. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Fall
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across fall, about 3.3 kWh/m².
Is fall a good time to visit Kaikoura?
Our two travel scores rate fall for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
fall is a reasonable time to visit Kaikoura for sightseeing.
What to pack for Kaikoura in Fall
From fall's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In fall, Kaikoura sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 11°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 29 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Kaikoura in Fall
The nearest coast averages about 14°C across fall — 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sea temperature (°C) | 16 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 15 |
| Comfort | Cool | Cool | Cool | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing | Bracing |
| Sea temperature (°C) | Comfort | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16 | Cool |
| Feb | 17 | Cool |
| Mar | 16 | Cool |
| Apr | 14 | Bracing |
| May | 13 | Bracing |
| Jun | 12 | Bracing |
| Jul | 11 | Bracing |
| Aug | 10 | Bracing |
| Sep | 11 | Bracing |
| Oct | 12 | Bracing |
| Nov | 13 | Bracing |
| Dec | 15 | Bracing |
UV index in Kaikoura in Fall
Clear-sky midday UV across fall averages around 4 — enough to warrant sun protection. 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.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 11 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 11 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | High | Moderate | Low | Low | Low | Moderate | Moderate | High | Very high | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 11 | Extreme |
| Feb | 10 | Extreme |
| Mar | 6 | High |
| Apr | 4 | Moderate |
| May | 2 | Low |
| Jun | 1 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Low |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 4 | Moderate |
| Oct | 6 | High |
| Nov | 9 | Very high |
| Dec | 11 | Extreme |
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.
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.
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
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.