Kaikoura in Spring
In spring (September, October and November), Kaikoura sees average daytime highs around 13°C and overnight lows near 9°C, with 217 mm of precipitation over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the 3rd-wettest season.
Over the season highs climb from about 11°C in early September to 16°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.
Spring is Kaikoura's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Kaikoura's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 13°C
- 3rd-warmest season
- Avg overnight low
- 9°C
- Precipitation
- 217 mm
- 33 wet days
- Avg wind
- 14 km/h
- Travel score
- 3.7
- 3rd-best season
- Months
- Sep · Oct · Nov
Temperature in Kaikoura in Spring
Over the season highs climb from about 11°C in early September to 16°C by late November.
A typical spring day in Kaikoura reaches about 13°C and drops to 9°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.
Kaikoura weather by month
How the three spring months (September, October and November) 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 Spring
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 34% of the time across spring.
Chance of precipitation in Spring
Kaikoura gets around 217 mm of rain and snow over 33 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Spring
Most of spring feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Spring
Winds average 14 km/h across spring.
Sunrise & sunset in Spring
Daylight runs from about 11 hours in early September to 14 h 54 min by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Spring
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.3 kWh/m².
Is spring a good time to visit Kaikoura?
Our two travel scores rate spring for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Kaikoura.
What to pack for Kaikoura in Spring
From spring's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In spring, Kaikoura sees daytime highs around 13°C and nights near 9°C. Pack a warm layer and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 33 days see rain.
Sea temperature near Kaikoura in Spring
The nearest coast averages about 12°C across spring — 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 Spring
Clear-sky midday UV across spring averages 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.
| 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.