Kaikoura weather in January

In January, Kaikoura sees average daytime highs of 18°C and overnight lows near 14°C, with 69 mm of rain across 10.1 wet days and about 14.7 hours of daylight. It is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 15 h 06 min at the start of January to 14 h 18 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, January is Kaikoura's 10th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kaikoura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
18°
2nd warmest
Overnight low
14°
11th coldest
Rainfall
69 mm
10.1 wet days
Daylight
14 h 48 min
6:11 AM – 8:58 PM
Cloud cover
57%
10th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
7.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.9
out of 10

Kaikoura is town in New Zealand.

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

Temperature in January

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 18°C through the month.

A typical January day in Kaikoura reaches about 18°C in the afternoon and slips back to 14°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 14°C and 22°C. Set against its neighbours, January runs about 1°C warmer than December and on par with February.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11713
21814
31814
41814
51814
61814
71814
81814
91814
101814
111814
121814
131814
141814
151814
161814
171814
181814
191814
201814
211814
221814
231814
241814
251814
261814
271814
281814
291814
301814
311814

Kaikoura weather by month

How January compares with the rest of the year at a glance. January is the 2nd-warmest and 8th-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 January

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time in January.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 17% of January, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 50%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15050
25050
34852
44852
54852
64753
74852
84852
94852
104852
114852
124852
135050
145050
155050
165149
175149
185149
195347
205248
215347
225347
235248
245347
255248
265149
275149
285149
295050
305050
315050

Chance of precipitation in January

Any precipitation

Kaikoura gets around 69 mm of rain over 10.1 wet days in January. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 33% and peaks near 36% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
435
535
636
736
836
936
1036
1136
1236
1336
1435
1535
1634
1734
1833
1933
2032
2131
2231
2331
2430
2530
2630
2730
2830
2930
3030
3130

Humidity in January

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, January lands in the dry band about 59% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
168293
267303
366313
466313
565323
665323
764333
864333
963343
1063343
1163343
1263343
1362344
1461354
1560355
1660355
1759356
1859356
1957367
2056368
2155369
2255369
23543610
24543610
25533611
26533611
27523612
28523612
29533512
30533512
31533512

Wind in January

Winds average 14 km/h in January.

Across January, 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
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1315light breeze
1415light 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
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in January

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 15 h 06 min at the start of January to 14 h 18 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 48 minutes over January. Sunrise moves from 5:57 AM to 6:29 AM, and sunset from 9:00 PM to 8:48 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
115.15:579:00
215.05:579:00
315.05:589:00
415.05:599:00
515.06:009:00
615.06:019:00
715.06:029:00
815.06:039:00
914.96:049:00
1014.96:059:00
1114.96:069:00
1214.96:078:59
1314.96:088:59
1414.86:098:59
1514.86:108:58
1614.86:118:58
1714.86:128:58
1814.76:138:57
1914.76:148:57
2014.76:168:56
2114.66:178:56
2214.66:188:55
2314.66:198:54
2414.66:208:54
2514.56:228:53
2614.56:238:52
2714.56:248:51
2814.46:258:51
2914.46:278:50
3014.46:288:49
3114.36:298:48

Solar energy in January

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in January, about 7.08 kWh/m² — the sunniest month for solar.

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 — January's 7.08 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

02468151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
17.5Intense
27.5Intense
37.5Intense
47.4Intense
57.4Intense
67.3Intense
77.2Intense
87.2Intense
97.1Intense
107.0Intense
117.0Intense
126.9Intense
136.9Intense
146.9Intense
156.8Intense
166.8Intense
176.8Intense
186.8Intense
196.8Intense
206.7Intense
216.7Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.6Intense
266.6Intense
276.6Intense
286.6Intense
296.5Intense
306.5Intense
316.5Intense
Planning a trip in January

Is January a good time to visit Kaikoura?

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

5.9
Sightseeing
2nd-best month of the year
1.9
Beach & pool
2nd-best month of the year

January is a reasonable time to visit Kaikoura for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kaikoura in January

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

In January, Kaikoura sees daytime highs around 18°C and nights near 14°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

sun protectionrain gear

Sea temperature near Kaikoura in January

The nearest coast averages about 16°C in January — 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 January

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in January 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
January 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).