Kaikoura weather in May

In May, Kaikoura sees average daytime highs of 13°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 69 mm of precipitation across 10.2 wet days and about 9.6 hours of daylight. It is the 8th-warmest and 9th-wettest month of the year here.

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in May, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 10 h 12 min at the start of May to 9 h 12 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, May is Kaikoura's 1st-clearest and 11th-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kaikoura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
13°
8th warmest
Overnight low
6th coldest
Precipitation
69 mm
10.2 wet days
Daylight
9 h 36 min
8:34 AM – 6:09 PM
Cloud cover
51%
1st clearest
Wind
14 km/h
11th windiest
Solar energy
2.08 kWh/m²
Travel score
3.7
out of 10

Kaikoura is town in New Zealand.

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

Temperature in May

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs ease over the month, from about 14°C in the first days to 12°C by the end.

A typical May day in Kaikoura reaches about 13°C in the afternoon and slips back to 9°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 10°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, May runs about 2°C cooler than April and about 2°C warmer than June.

10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11410
21410
31410
41410
51410
61410
71410
81410
91410
101310
111310
121310
13139
14139
15139
16139
17139
18139
19139
20139
21129
22129
23129
24129
25128
26128
27128
28128
29128
30128
31128

Kaikoura weather by month

How May compares with the rest of the year at a glance. May is the 8th-warmest and 9th-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 May

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 40% of the time in May, the clearest month of the year.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 15% of May, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 45%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25347
35347
45347
55446
65446
75545
85545
95644
105743
115743
125842
135842
145842
155842
165842
175842
185842
195743
205743
215644
225644
235644
245545
255545
265446
275347
285347
295347
305347
315347

Chance of precipitation in May

Any precipitationSnow

Kaikoura gets around 69 mm of rain and snow over 10.2 wet days in May. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 33% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days, and about 0 day brings snow. The odds climb toward the end of the month.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
1320
2320
3310
4310
5310
6310
7310
8300
9300
10300
11300
12300
13300
14300
15310
16321
17331
18331
19341
20351
21351
22361
23361
24361
25371
26371
27372
28382
29382
30382
31382

Humidity in May

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, May lands in the dry band about 100% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
21000
31000
41000
51000
61000
71000
81000
91000
101000
111000
121000
131000
141000
151000
161000
171000
181000
191000
201000
211000
221000
231000
241000
251000
261000
271000
281000
291000
301000
311000

Wind in May

Winds average 14 km/h in May.

Across May, daily wind ranges from about 13 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
113light breeze
213light breeze
313light breeze
413light breeze
513light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light breeze
1714light breeze
1814light breeze
1914light breeze
2014light breeze
2114light breeze
2214light breeze
2315light breeze
2415light breeze
2515light breeze
2615light breeze
2715light breeze
2815light breeze
2915light breeze
3015light breeze
3115light breeze

Sunrise & sunset in May

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 12 min at the start of May to 9 h 12 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days shrink by about 60 minutes over May. Sunrise moves from 8:17 AM to 8:48 AM, and sunset from 6:28 PM to 5:57 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
110.28:176:28
210.18:186:26
310.18:196:25
410.18:216:24
510.08:226:22
610.08:236:21
79.98:246:20
89.98:256:18
99.98:266:17
109.88:276:16
119.88:286:15
129.78:296:14
139.78:306:13
149.78:326:11
159.68:336:10
169.68:346:09
179.68:356:08
189.58:366:07
199.58:376:06
209.58:386:05
219.48:396:05
229.48:406:04
239.48:416:03
249.38:426:02
259.38:436:01
269.38:446:01
279.38:446:00
289.28:455:59
299.28:465:59
309.28:475:58
319.28:485:57

Solar energy in May

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in May, about 2.08 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 — May's 2.08 kWh/m² sits near the bottom.

0123151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
12.5Moderate
22.5Moderate
32.4Moderate
42.4Moderate
52.4Moderate
62.4Moderate
72.3Moderate
82.3Moderate
92.3Moderate
102.2Moderate
112.2Moderate
122.2Moderate
132.1Moderate
142.1Moderate
152.1Moderate
162.1Moderate
172.0Moderate
182.0Moderate
192.0Dim
202.0Dim
211.9Dim
221.9Dim
231.9Dim
241.9Dim
251.9Dim
261.8Dim
271.8Dim
281.8Dim
291.8Dim
301.8Dim
311.7Dim
Planning a trip in May

Is May a good time to visit Kaikoura?

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

3.7
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

May is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kaikoura.

What to pack for Kaikoura in May

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

In May, Kaikoura sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 9°C. Worth packing: a warm layer and rain gear. About 10 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gear

Sea temperature near Kaikoura in May

The nearest coast averages about 13°C in May — 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 May

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in May peaks around 2. 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
May 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).