Taupo in Summer
In summer (December, January and February), Taupo sees average daytime highs around 20°C and overnight lows near 11°C, with 290 mm of rain over about 33 wet days across the season. It is the warmest season of the year and the driest season of the year.
Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early December to 20°C by late February. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across summer, and the air most often feels dry.
Summer is Taupo's best season of the year to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Taupo's year-round climate.
- Avg daytime high
- 20°C
- warmest season of the year
- Avg overnight low
- 11°C
- Rainfall
- 290 mm
- 33 wet days
- Avg wind
- 11 km/h
- Travel score
- 6.1
- best season of the year
- Months
- Dec · Jan · Feb
Temperature in Taupo in Summer
Over the season highs climb from about 18°C in early December to 20°C by late February.
A typical summer day in Taupo reaches about 20°C and drops to 11°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is February, the coolest December.
Taupo weather by month
How the three summer months (December, January and February) compare with the rest of the year — the season's months are highlighted.
| Month | High / Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Wet days | Daylight (hours) | Travel score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 21° / 12° | 89 | 9.9 | 14.4 | 6.3 |
| Feb | 21° / 12° | 83 | 9 | 13.5 | 6.4 |
| Mar | 19° / 10° | 85 | 9.3 | 12.3 | 6.2 |
| Apr | 16° / 8° | 103 | 10.5 | 11 | 4.9 |
| May | 13° / 6° | 109 | 11.2 | 9.9 | 3.6 |
| Jun | 11° / 5° | 115 | 11.6 | 9.3 | 2.4 |
| Jul | 10° / 4° | 124 | 12.9 | 9.6 | 2.1 |
| Aug | 11° / 4° | 120 | 14 | 10.5 | 2.3 |
| Sep | 12° / 5° | 123 | 13.8 | 11.7 | 3.0 |
| Oct | 14° / 7° | 118 | 13.9 | 13 | 3.8 |
| Nov | 17° / 8° | 108 | 12.5 | 14.1 | 4.8 |
| Dec | 19° / 10° | 118 | 13.8 | 14.7 | 5.5 |
Cloud cover in Summer
The sky is clear or mostly clear about 21% of the time across summer.
Chance of precipitation in Summer
Taupo gets around 290 mm of rain over 33 wet days across summer. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.
Humidity in Summer
Most of summer feels dry — the stacked bands show each day's mix of comfort levels, read off the dew point.
Wind in Summer
Winds average 11 km/h across summer.
Sunrise & sunset in Summer
Daylight runs from about 14 h 30 min in early December to 13 hours by late February. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.
Solar energy in Summer
Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across summer, about 5.9 kWh/m².
Is summer a good time to visit Taupo?
Our two travel scores rate summer for general sightseeing and for beach or pool weather — 0 (poor) to 10 (ideal), averaged across the three months.
summer is a reasonable time to visit Taupo for sightseeing.
What to pack for Taupo in Summer
From summer's temperature range, rain chance, sun and wind — what's worth putting in the bag.
In summer, Taupo sees daytime highs around 20°C and nights near 11°C. Pack sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 33 days see rain.
UV index in Taupo in Summer
Clear-sky midday UV across summer averages around 12 (very high — sun protection essential). The full-year curve, shaded by WHO exposure level, is below.
Under clear skies, the midday UV index in Taupo peaks around December 23 at about 12 (extreme) — sunscreen, a hat and midday shade are essential. It bottoms out near June 18 at about 2 (low).
The index reaches 3 or more — the level where the WHO recommends sun protection — in 9 months of the year.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV index (midday) | 12 | 11 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 11 | 12 |
| Level | Extreme | Extreme | Very high | Moderate | Moderate | Low | Moderate | Moderate | Moderate | High | Extreme | Extreme |
| UV index (midday) | Level | |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 12 | Extreme |
| Feb | 11 | Extreme |
| Mar | 7 | Very high |
| Apr | 5 | Moderate |
| May | 3 | Moderate |
| Jun | 2 | Low |
| Jul | 2 | Moderate |
| Aug | 3 | Moderate |
| Sep | 5 | Moderate |
| Oct | 7 | High |
| Nov | 11 | Extreme |
| Dec | 12 | Extreme |
Where is Taupo?
Taupo sits at 38.7°S, 176.1°E, 405 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Rotorua, 62 km away.
Topography around Taupo
How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Taupo.
Within 3 km, the terrain around Taupo has only modest variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 148 m around an average of 402 m above sea level; within 16 km, large variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 783 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 2,648 m.
The land around Taupo is covered by grassland (35%), artificial surfaces (25%) and trees (22%) within 3 km, grassland (50%) and trees (29%) within 16 km, and trees (60%) and grassland (35%) 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 Taupo (-38.6833°, 176.0833°, elevation 405 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.