Tekapo weather in October

In October, Tekapo sees average daytime highs of 11°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 119 mm of precipitation across 13.6 wet days and about 13.2 hours of daylight. It is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month of the year here.

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 12°C by the end. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in October, and the air most often feels dry.

Daylight stretches from about 12 h 30 min at the start of October to 14 hours by month's end. Set against the rest of the year, October is Tekapo's 5th-clearest and 2nd-windiest month. For the whole year in context, see Tekapo's year-round climate.

Daytime high
11°
7th warmest
Overnight low
6th coldest
Precipitation
119 mm
13.6 wet days
Daylight
13 h 12 min
6:46 AM – 8:00 PM
Cloud cover
61%
5th clearest
Wind
8 km/h
2nd windiest
Solar energy
5.13 kWh/m²
Travel score
2.5
out of 10

Tekapo is locality in Mackenzie District, Canterbury Region, New Zealand.

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

Temperature in October

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Highs climb over the month, from about 10°C in the first days to 12°C by the end.

A typical October day in Tekapo reaches about 11°C in the afternoon and slips back to 3°C overnight — a 9°C spread between the day's warmth and the night's chill. On most days the high lands between 7°C and 15°C. Set against its neighbours, October runs about 3°C warmer than September and about 3°C cooler than November.

-5°10°15°20°151015202531
Avg high (°C)Avg low (°C)
1102
2102
3102
4102
5102
6102
7102
8102
9102
10102
11102
12112
13112
14112
15112
16112
17112
18113
19113
20113
21123
22123
23123
24123
25123
26123
27123
28123
29124
30134
31134

How October really feels in Tekapo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, October averages 0 days that feel above 32°C and 14 that feel at or below 0°C — the comfort signal a plain temperature reading hides.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
14
wind chill below the day's low

The story in October is cold — wind chill drags the overnight "feels like" below the raw low.

Tekapo weather by month

How October compares with the rest of the year at a glance. October is the 7th-warmest and 1st-wettest month here — the current month is highlighted below.

MonthHigh / Low (°C)Rainfall (mm)Wet daysSnow daysDaylight (hours)Travel score
Jan18° / 10810.90.114.95.6
Feb18° / 869.40.113.85.8
Mar16° / 939.40.212.45.0
Apr13° / 9710.60.910.83.5
May / 10511.429.51.9
Jun / -1°9710.64.38.80.2
Jul / -2°9410.35.690.0
Aug / -1°8811.25.110.20.2
Sep / 10312.7411.71.5
Oct11° / 11913.63.513.22.5
Nov14° / 11112.7214.63.6
Dec16° / 11412.50.415.24.6

Cloud cover in October

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time in October.

Beyond those clear spells, partly cloudy skies cover about 18% of October, with mostly cloudy or overcast conditions the remaining 53%.

0%25%50%75%100%151015202531
Clearer (%)Cloudier (%)
14753
24555
34555
44555
54555
64555
74555
84654
94654
104654
114555
124654
134654
144753
154951
164951
175050
185050
195050
205050
215050
225050
235050
244951
254852
264852
274852
284852
294654
304654
314654

Chance of precipitation in October

Any precipitationSnow

Tekapo gets around 119 mm of rain and snow over 13.6 wet days in October, the wettest month. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

Day to day, the chance of measurable precipitation averages around 44% and peaks near 47% on the wettest days, and about 4 days bring snow. The odds ease toward the end of the month.

0%20%40%60%151015202531
Rain chance (%)Snow chance (%)
14613
24613
34713
44714
54714
64714
74714
84714
94714
104714
114714
124714
134713
144613
154613
164512
174412
184411
194311
204310
214310
224210
23429
24429
25419
26409
27408
28398
29398
30398
31388

Humidity in October

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

By dew point, October 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 (%)
1100
2100
3100
4100
5100
6100
7100
8100
9100
10100
11100
12100
13100
14100
15100
16100
17100
18100
19100
20100
21100
22100
23100
24100
25100
26100
27100
28100
29100
30100
31100

Wind in October

Winds average 8 km/h in October.

Across October, daily wind ranges from about 7 km/h on the calmest days to 8 km/h at its breeziest. It stays fairly steady from day to day.

0246810151015202531
Wind speed (km/h)Feels
17calm
27calm
37calm
47calm
57calm
67calm
77calm
87calm
98calm
108calm
118calm
128calm
138calm
148calm
158calm
168calm
178calm
188calm
198calm
208calm
218calm
228calm
238calm
248calm
258calm
267calm
277calm
287calm
297calm
307calm
317calm

Sunrise & sunset in October

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 12 h 30 min at the start of October to 14 hours by month's end. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

Days grow by about 90 minutes over October. Sunrise moves from 7:13 AM to 6:23 AM, and sunset from 7:41 PM to 8:20 PM.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AM151015202531
Daylight (h)Sunrise (AM)Sunset (PM)
112.57:137:41
212.57:117:43
312.67:097:44
412.67:077:45
512.77:057:46
612.77:037:48
712.87:027:49
812.87:007:50
912.96:587:51
1012.96:567:53
1113.06:547:54
1213.06:537:55
1313.16:517:56
1413.16:497:58
1513.26:487:59
1613.26:468:00
1713.36:448:02
1813.36:438:03
1913.46:418:04
2013.46:398:06
2113.56:388:07
2213.56:368:08
2313.66:358:09
2413.66:338:11
2513.76:328:12
2613.76:308:13
2713.86:298:15
2813.86:278:16
2913.96:268:17
3013.96:248:19
3114.06:238:20

Solar energy in October

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day in October, about 5.13 kWh/m².

For context, solar energy here swings from a low near 1.45 kWh/m² to a high of 6.55 kWh/m² in January across the year — October's 5.13 kWh/m² falls in the middle.

0246151015202531
Solar energy (kWh/m²)Level
14.5Bright
24.5Bright
34.5Bright
44.6Bright
54.6Bright
64.7Bright
74.7Bright
84.8Bright
94.8Bright
104.8Bright
114.9Bright
125.0Bright
135.0Bright
145.1Bright
155.1Bright
165.2Bright
175.2Bright
185.3Bright
195.3Bright
205.4Bright
215.4Bright
225.5Bright
235.5Bright
245.5Bright
255.6Bright
265.6Bright
275.6Bright
285.7Bright
295.7Bright
305.7Bright
315.8Bright
Planning a trip in October

Is October a good time to visit Tekapo?

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

2.5
Sightseeing
7th-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
7th-best month of the year

October is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tekapo.

What to pack for Tekapo in October

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

In October, Tekapo sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer. Worth having: rain gear and sun protection. About 14 days see rain.

a warm layerrain gearsun protection

UV index in Tekapo in October

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

Clear-sky midday UV in October 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 Tekapo peaks around January 16 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 highJan 16UV 11Jun 16UV 1
UV index (midday)Level
Jan11Extreme
Feb10Extreme
Mar6High
Apr3Moderate
May2Low
Jun1Low
Jul2Low
Aug3Moderate
Sep5Moderate
Oct6High
Nov9Very high
Dec10Extreme
Location & terrain

Where is Tekapo?

Tekapo sits at 44.0°S, 170.5°E, 0 m above sea level, in New Zealand. The nearest listed city is Franz Josef, 73 km away.

AshburtonWanakaRollestonChristchurchQueenstownRangiora

Topography around Tekapo

How much the land rises and falls, and what covers it, within 3, 16 and 80 km of Tekapo.

Within 3 km, the terrain around Tekapo has significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 358 m around an average of 746 m above sea level; within 16 km, very significant variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 1,523 m; within 80 km, extreme variations in elevation — a maximum elevation change of 3,635 m.

The land around Tekapo is covered by grassland (65%) within 3 km, grassland (84%) within 16 km, and grassland (61%) within 80 km.

3 km
358 m
16 km
1,523 m
80 km
3,635 m
treesgrasslandcroplandartificial surfacesbare terrainsnow and icewater
October weather nearby: Franz Josef 73 km · Timaru 75 km · Ashburton 101 km · Wanaka 131 km · Rolleston 160 km · Christchurch 181 km · Queenstown 184 km · Rangiora 186 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 Tekapo (-44.0064°, 170.4803°, 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. 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).