Tekapo in Spring

In spring (September, October and November), Tekapo sees average daytime highs around 11°C and overnight lows near 3°C, with 333 mm of precipitation over about 39 wet days across the season. It is the 3rd-warmest season and the wettest season of the year.

Over the season highs climb from about 7°C in early September to 14°C by late November. The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across spring, and the air most often feels dry.

Spring is Tekapo's 3rd-best season to visit on our travel score. For the whole year in context, see Tekapo's year-round climate.

Avg daytime high
11°C
3rd-warmest season
Avg overnight low
3°C
Precipitation
333 mm
39 wet days
Avg wind
7 km/h
Travel score
2.5
3rd-best season
Months
Sep · Oct · Nov

Temperature in Tekapo in Spring

Average highAverage lowShaded bands: 10–90% of days

Over the season highs climb from about 7°C in early September to 14°C by late November.

A typical spring day in Tekapo reaches about 11°C and drops to 3°C overnight. The warmest of the three months is November, the coolest September.

-5°10°15°20°SepOctNov

How spring really feels in Tekapo

Once humidity and wind are folded in, spring brings about 0 days that feel above 32°C and 44 that feel at or below 0°C.

Days feeling ≥ 32°C
0
heat index over the day's high
Days feeling ≤ C
44
wind chill below the day's low

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

Tekapo 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.

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 Spring

ClearMostly clearPartly cloudyMostly cloudyOvercast

The sky is clear or mostly clear about 29% of the time across spring.

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Chance of precipitation in Spring

Any precipitationSnow

Tekapo gets around 333 mm of rain and snow over 39 wet days across spring. The line is the day-by-day chance of measurable precipitation.

0%20%40%60%SepOctNov

Humidity in Spring

DryComfortableHumidMuggyOppressiveMiserable

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

0%25%50%75%100%SepOctNov

Wind in Spring

Winds average 7 km/h across spring.

0246810SepOctNov

Sunrise & sunset in Spring

DaylightNight

Daylight runs from about 10 h 54 min in early September to 15 hours by late November. The lit band spans sunrise to sunset each day.

12 AM4 AM8 AM12 PM4 PM8 PM12 AMSepOctNov

Solar energy in Spring

Daily solar energy (kWh/m²)

Average shortwave solar energy reaching the ground each day across spring, about 5.1 kWh/m².

0246SepOctNov
Planning a trip in spring

Is spring a good time to visit Tekapo?

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.

2.5
Sightseeing
3rd-best month of the year
0.0
Beach & pool
3rd-best month of the year

spring is a weaker month for outdoor sightseeing in Tekapo.

What to pack for Tekapo in Spring

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

In spring, Tekapo sees daytime highs around 11°C and nights near 3°C. Pack a warm layer and sun protection. Worth having: rain gear. About 39 days see rain.

a warm layersun protectionrain gear

UV index in Tekapo in Spring

LowModerateHighVery highExtreme

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 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
Spring 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.