Kaikoura weather in November

In November, Kaikoura sees average daytime highs of 15°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 71 mm of rain across 10.8 wet days and about 14.4 hours of daylight. It is the 6th-warmest and 6th-wettest month of the year here.

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in November, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 13 h 54 min at the start of November to 14 h 54 min by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, November is Kaikoura's 11th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Kaikoura's year-round climate.

Daytime high
15°
6th warmest
Overnight low
11°
7th coldest
Rainfall
71 mm
10.8 wet days
Daylight
14 h 30 min
5:57 AM – 8:24 PM
Cloud cover
58%
11th clearest
Wind
15 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
6.51 kWh/m²
Travel score
4.4
out of 10

Kaikoura is town in New Zealand.

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

Temperature in November

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Day-to-day highs hold fairly steady near 15°C through the month.

A typical November day in Kaikoura reaches about 15°C in the afternoon and slips back to 11°C overnight — a 4°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 11°C and 18°C. Set against its neighbours, November runs about 2°C warmer than October and about 2°C cooler than December.

10°15°20°151015202530
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
11410
21410
31410
41410
51410
61410
71410
81410
91410
101410
111410
121510
131510
141510
151510
161510
171510
181511
191511
201511
211511
221511
231511
241511
251511
261511
271611
281611
291611
301612

Kaikoura weather by month

How November compares with the rest of the year at a glance. November is the 6th-warmest and 6th-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 November

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 30% of the time in November.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of November, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 51%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
15347
25248
35248
45248
55347
65248
75248
85248
95149
105149
115149
125050
135050
145050
155050
164951
174951
185050
194951
204852
214852
224753
234654
244654
254555
264555
274555
284357
294357
304456

Chance of precipitation in November

Any precipitation

Kaikoura gets around 71 mm of rain over 10.8 wet days in November. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable rain averages around 37% and peaks near 38% on the wettest days.

0%10%20%30%40%50%151015202530
Rain chance (%)
134
234
334
435
535
635
736
836
936
1037
1137
1237
1338
1438
1538
1638
1738
1838
1938
2038
2137
2237
2337
2437
2537
2637
2736
2836
2936
3036

Humidity in November

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, November lands in the dry band about 96% of days. It rarely turns muggy — the humid and sticky bands barely register.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202530
Dry (%)Comfortable (%)
1991
2991
3991
4991
5991
6982
7982
8982
9982
10982
11982
12982
13982
14982
15982
16973
17973
18973
19973
20964
21964
22955
23946
24937
25928
26919
279010
288911
298911
308812

Wind in November

Winds average 15 km/h in November.

Across November, 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.

05101520151015202530
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
114light breeze
214light breeze
314light breeze
414light breeze
514light breeze
614light breeze
714light breeze
814light breeze
914light breeze
1014light breeze
1114light breeze
1214light breeze
1314light breeze
1414light breeze
1514light breeze
1614light 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

Sunrise & sunset in November

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 13 h 54 min at the start of November to 14 h 54 min by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 60 minutes over November. Sunrise moves from 6:12 AM to 5:49 AM, and sunset from 8:05 PM to 8:40 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202530
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
113.96:128:05
213.96:118:07
314.06:108:08
414.06:098:09
514.06:078:10
614.16:068:12
714.16:058:13
814.26:048:14
914.26:038:16
1014.26:028:17
1114.36:018:18
1214.36:008:19
1314.45:598:21
1414.45:588:22
1514.45:588:23
1614.55:578:24
1714.55:568:25
1814.55:558:27
1914.65:558:28
2014.65:548:29
2114.65:538:30
2214.65:538:31
2314.75:528:33
2414.75:528:34
2514.75:518:35
2614.85:518:36
2714.85:508:37
2814.85:508:38
2914.85:498:39
3014.95:498:40

Solar energy in November

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in November, about 6.51 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 — November's 6.51 kWh/m² sits near the top of that range.

0246151015202530
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
16.1Intense
26.2Intense
36.2Intense
46.2Intense
56.2Intense
66.3Intense
76.3Intense
86.3Intense
96.4Intense
106.4Intense
116.4Intense
126.5Intense
136.5Intense
146.5Intense
156.5Intense
166.6Intense
176.6Intense
186.6Intense
196.6Intense
206.6Intense
216.6Intense
226.7Intense
236.7Intense
246.7Intense
256.7Intense
266.7Intense
276.7Intense
286.7Intense
296.7Intense
306.7Intense
Planning a trip in November

Is November a good time to visit Kaikoura?

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

4.4
Sightseeing
6th-best month of the year
0.1
Beach & pool
6th-best month of the year

November is a reasonable time to visit Kaikoura for sightseeing.

What to pack for Kaikoura in November

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

In November, Kaikoura sees daytime highs around 15°C and nights near 11°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 November

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

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in November peaks around 9 (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
November 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).