Kaikoura weather in March

In March, Kaikoura sees average daytime highs of 17°C and overnight lows near 13°C, with 70 mm of rain across 9.2 wet days and about 12.4 hours of daylight. It is the 3rd-warmest and 7th-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 37% of the time in March, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 06 min at the start of March to 11 h 36 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, March is Kaikoura's 4th-clearest and 4th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kaikoura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
17°
3rd warmest
Overnight low
13°
10th coldest
Rainfall
70 mm
9.2 wet days
Daylight
12 h 24 min
7:24 AM – 7:46 PM
Cloud cover
54%
4th clearest
Wind
14 km/h
4th windiest
Solar energy
4.58 kWh/m²
Travel score
5.6
out of 10

Kaikoura is town in New Zealand.

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

Temperature in March

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

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

A typical March 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 14°C and 20°C. Set against its neighbours, March runs about 1°C cooler than February and about 2°C warmer than April.

10°15°20°25°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11814
21814
31813
41713
51713
61713
71713
81713
91713
101713
111713
121713
131713
141713
151713
161713
171713
181713
191713
201713
211713
221713
231713
241713
251713
261613
271613
281612
291612
301612
311612

Kaikoura weather by month

How March compares with the rest of the year at a glance. March is the 3rd-warmest and 7th-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 March

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 37% of the time in March.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 16% of March, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 47%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15743
25743
35545
45545
55545
65347
75347
85248
95248
105248
115248
125248
135248
145248
155149
165149
175248
185347
195347
205347
215347
225446
235446
245446
255446
265446
275446
285446
295446
305446
315446

Chance of precipitation in March

Any precipitation

Kaikoura gets around 70 mm of rain over 9.2 wet days in March. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 30% and peaks near 31% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%151015202531
Rain chance (%)
129
230
330
430
530
631
731
831
931
1031
1131
1231
1331
1431
1530
1630
1730
1830
1930
2029
2129
2229
2328
2428
2528
2628
2728
2829
2929
3030
3130

Humidity in March

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, March lands in the dry band about 75% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)Humid (%)
162362
263352
365332
467321
568311
669301
771281
872271
973261
1073261
1174251
1275241
1376240
1476240
1577230
1677230
1777230
1878220
1978220
2078220
2178220
2278220
2378220
2478220
2578220
2679210
2779210
2880200
2981190
3082180
3183170

Wind in March

Winds average 14 km/h in March.

Across March, 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
515light breeze
615light breeze
715light breeze
815light breeze
915light breeze
1015light breeze
1115light breeze
1215light breeze
1315light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2314light breeze
2414light breeze
2514light breeze
2614light breeze
2714light breeze
2814light breeze
2914light breeze
3014light breeze
3114light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in March

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 06 min at the start of March to 11 h 36 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 90 minutes over March. Sunrise moves from 7:06 AM to 7:42 AM, and sunset from 8:11 PM to 7:19 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.17:068:11
213.07:078:09
313.07:098:08
412.97:108:06
512.97:118:04
612.87:128:03
712.87:138:01
812.77:157:59
912.77:167:58
1012.67:177:56
1112.67:187:54
1212.67:207:53
1312.57:217:51
1412.57:227:49
1512.47:237:47
1612.47:247:46
1712.37:257:44
1812.37:277:42
1912.27:287:40
2012.27:297:39
2112.17:307:37
2212.17:317:35
2312.07:327:33
2412.07:347:31
2511.97:357:30
2611.97:367:28
2711.87:377:26
2811.87:387:24
2911.77:397:22
3011.77:417:21
3111.67:427:19

Solar energy in March

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in March, about 4.58 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 — March's 4.58 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
15.3Bright
25.3Bright
35.2Bright
45.2Bright
55.1Bright
65.0Bright
75.0Bright
85.0Bright
94.9Bright
104.8Bright
114.8Bright
124.8Bright
134.7Bright
144.7Bright
154.6Bright
164.6Bright
174.5Bright
184.5Bright
194.4Bright
204.4Bright
214.3Bright
224.3Bright
234.2Bright
244.2Bright
254.2Bright
264.1Bright
274.0Bright
284.0Moderate
293.9Moderate
303.9Moderate
313.8Moderate
Planning a trip in March

Is March a good time to visit Kaikoura?

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

5.6
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
1.2
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

March is a reasonable time to visit Kaikoura for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kaikoura in March

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

In March, Kaikoura sees daytime highs around 17°C and nights near 13°C. Worth packing: a warm layer, rain gear and sun protection. About 9 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

Sea temperature near Kaikoura in March

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

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in March peaks around 6 — 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.

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
March 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).